TEN MILES FOR A PENNY

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 269, 1 November 1930, Page 13

TEN MILES FOR A PENNY

DIESEL ENGINE TRIED OUT. EXPERIMENT IN ENGLAND. Fashions are always changing. Just as women must have new clothes, so must car manufacturers have ideas. And one of the latest and most revolutionary is related a Diesel-engined motor vehicle. The cost is small, and it may soon be possible to travel a distance of ten miles at a fuel cost of one penny. The chief advantages of Diesel and semi-Diesel types of engine are the low fuel consumption, combined with the low cost of the fuel, and the freedom from fire risks. These advantages seem more attractive considered in relation to aircraft, marine purpest,, and heavy transport, than in respect of private cars; but for general utility purposes the cost of running even a small vehicle is an important item to be considered. in England, an experiment is being conducted with a light car. The chassis is a conventional type, and a single-cylinder, two-stroke Diesel engine is used. The engine has no carburetter, valves or ignition sys. tern. The power unit develops a maximum of 10 h.p. giving a speed of from 20 to 25 m.p.h. This could be increased by more suitable gear ratios. Starting this engine from cold is amazingly simple, for it has only to be pulled once or twice over compression for it to start quite gently and with certainty, there being no hesitation or missing and no necessity to allow the engine to warm up. It is apparent, of course, that the flywheel is rather heavy, and this naturally has an adverse effect upon acceleiation, but, nevertheless, the small car threads its way through traffic almost at easily as if it were fitted with a petrol engine, while, owing to the fact that top gear can be so rapidly engaged after moving from rest, its ultimate acceleration in getting away from a traffic stop is little below the average. Ordinary gradients seem to be taken in the car’s stride, for it is a characteristic of the Diesel engine that it runs best under load. Usually the Diesel engine is apt to be rather noisy when running light, giving rise to a peculiar knock, but this is not very noticeable with the engine in question. As there is only ono cylinder there is, however, a certain amount of vibration. It is the amazing economy of this engine which is so attractive, for a distance of 100 miles was covered on under two gallons of Diesel fuel oil, so that with fuel at 5d per gallon a distance of ten miles can betravelled for Id.