UNLIMITED MILES

Evening Star, Issue 23693, 28 September 1940, Page 8

UNLIMITED MILES

NS NEED FOR COUPONS HEW DEVELOPMENT IH MOTORING To the average motorist in Dunedin to-day the phrase “ unlimited miles ” savours of wishful thinking. But new developments in the motor trade are now making it a thought swiftly to be realised A 1 Star ’ reporter yesterday, chatting with owners of cars operated by producer gas, was surprised by their enthusiastic unanimity of opinion regarding performance and ease of operation.

Timing the operation of starting a producer gas plant on a standard model car, the reporter found that it took exactly 10 seconds to light the fire. Within two minutes the engine was running on the gas. In another niinnto or so it was moving easily among the traffic of the city streets. While acceleration was not quite as fast as it would have been on petrol, it was more than ample for the average driver. Five minutes later, when the body of the fire had increased in proportion, acceleration was fully as good as on the average car.

Cost? A car that will do 20 miles to the gallon on petrol burns threequarters of a pound of fuel—costing a halfpenny—each mile. A certain amount of petrol is used for starting, and occasionally, on a very steep hill; making the running cost approximately three farthings a mile, which is half the cost of running on petrol. These again are conservative figures based on present prices. The saving in the case of trucks and tractors is even more pronounced. A six-wheeler truck in the North Island, running over 600 miles weekly with an average gross load of 10 tons, is operating with a fuel cost of a shade under a penny a mile, the saving in one week exceeding £lO. There is nothing awkward in the appearance of these Gasogeue plants attached to any car. They are compact and neat to look at, and enhance, rather than detract from the appearance.- Initial cost is small, varying with the type of work to be done. But the greatest boon for the motorist will be the feeling——almost forgotten in these davs of coupons—of having unlimited miles at his disposal. The agency for Otago and Southland for Gasogeue plants is held by a new company. City Motor Service Ltd., which, in addition to selling, installing, and servicing plants, will operate one of the most modern garages in the Dominion, when their premises in Cumberland street, next to the Law Courts Hotel, have been completely modernised. 2S/9/40.