Electric Elevators

There appears to be a certain amount of misunderstanding when it comes to electric elevators. We know that there are cable elevators, hoist elevators, pneumatic vacuum elevators, hydraulic elevators, vertical elevators, elevators on an incline and the list goes on. However, as in the case of pneumatic elevators or hydraulic elevators we often erroneously assume that they are driven by something other than electricity because water and air are involved. Actually, since the days of the steam or coal engines literally every type of elevator has been powered by electricity in one fashion or another. Consequently, all elevators are electric elevators unless of course there is a power outage where they would need to be powered by some form of backup power such as a battery or a gasoline generator.

Early Days of the Elevator

Almost since the beginning of time, after the pulley had been invented, some form of hoist was used to transport humans and cargo up and down various elevations. In the beginning, these precursors to the modern elevator were driven by human power. Oftentimes slaves would pull ropes that moved the pulleys so that a platform or a bucket containing passengers or cargo was moved up an incline, or perhaps even vertically. After the invention of the steam engine, steam power was used to drive the machinery at work elevators. With the advent of the electric motor electricity began powering elevators which were then installed more and more frequently. Certain innovations in the beginning, such as Otis' invention of the safety break in the early 1850s made for safer passenger transport but even then elevators were powered by electricity.

How Elevators Are Powered

Three of the most common types of elevators in use still today are the hydraulic, pneumatic and cable system elevators. Hydraulic elevators actually function by pressurized fluids that drive a shaft up so that the elevator is pushed higher and higher from floor to floor. Although it is hydraulics that causes the elevator to rise some form of pumping system needs to force hydraulic fluid into the chamber. Needless to say, that is an electric pump. The same holds true with pneumatic vacuum elevators. Although it is air pressure which moves the elevator up and a decrease in pressure which allows it to descend some form of pump needs to force their into the chamber. Once again that pump is powered by electricity. Cable systems are no different as they are also driven by an electric motor. So it is safe to say that any elevator whatsoever is an electric elevator.

When looking for an elevator to be built into a new construction or installed in an existing structure is not sufficient to ask a distributor about electric elevators. All elevators are electric so you would need to be able to explain whether you are looking for a passenger elevator or a cargo elevator. Also you will need to know if the elevator is going to be interior or exterior to the building. Even though there are many types of elevators all elevators are electric elevators in one way or another.