THE GAZOGENE INDUSTRY IN EUROPE.
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A Survey of the Situation in France, Belgium and Italy, Showing the Developments in Vehicles and Gas Producers.
JJEALING with Continental countries, the development of the gas producer as applied to mechanical transport is at present almost entirely confined to France and Belgium. Amongst other motor manufacturing countries, Germany, in spite of her vast forests, has not yet awakened to the possibilities of wood and charcoal as motor fuels, and the same remark applies to the Central European States. Italy is just beginning to take an interest in the matter. The Italian Government recently decided to carry out sometests in order to ascertain the value of gas producers on tractors used for forestry, work. There being no Italian producers, a French machine -was purchased and trials were made in the forests. of Calabria. The results obtained were very satisfactory. For a , fuel consumption of 11 kilos. of charcoal, Costing 60 centesimi, the tractor performed an amount of work which required normally 1. litre of petrol costing 3 lire.
The Government gave wide publicity to these tests, and several Italian firms are now commencing the manufacture of gas machines. Official encouragement is being given and, so soon as the first producers are ready, a series of trials will be held in the Tuscany forests. This time the trials will be open to machines of Italian origin only.
In Belgium two or three firms have taken sip the gas-producer problem seriously. Amongst them the firm of Pipe make a Colonial-type lorry-in which a rather special form of gas generator is incorporated. This machine is the result of long and careful study, and the Pipe gasdriven lorry has already met with a high degree of success on the Belgian Congo. Another Belgian producer is the E.T.I.A., one of the pioneers of the movement. A third is the Star, made by the Star industrial-vehicle
firm.
Success Attained in France.
In France, where the movement receives substantial encouragement from the State, the gas-producer industry has taken firm root. Here, however, it is passing through a difficult period. At the moment the business is suffering from the universal trade slump which has followed upon the rise in the value of the franc. This slump has affected all sections of the French automobile industry and a new branch such as that of the gas producer is naturally suffering rather severely.
The fact that gas machines are comparatively cheap articles to c28 manufacture and need no big preliminary outlay on special plant tempted a number of very small firms to enter the business without sufficient capital. Several of these have been badly hit and, in some cases, obliged to close down. This is a great pity, as certain really praiseworthy machines have been lost sight of. In other cases, the 'firms in financial difficulties have been absorbed by rivals who were better off.
All this said and done, however, the French gazogene trade shows a steady growth and progress. The continued high cost of motor spirit in France and the French Colonies (in spite of the partial re-establishment of the franc) is of great assistance to the producer industry. Even in the home country, the sale of gas machines increases steadily. One great French automobile firm (Berliet) claims to have over 1,000 gasdriven vehicles of their own make running in France already and many more in the Colonies.
A List of Makers.
In view of the increasing interest in gas prodncers at the present moment the following summary of the Continental industry may be of service :—
Amongst old-established automobile firms building complete gasdriven industrial vehicles incorporating their own gas generators we have :—Berliet, of Lyons; PanhardLevassor, of Paris; and Pipe, of Bruxelles.
Makers of gas machines only include La Societe Frangaise de Gazogenes, 17-19, Rue dOuessant, Paris, making the Autogaz machine.
La Societe Internationale de Genie Civil, 61, Avenue Victor Emmanuel III, Paris, making the Schulz at Loriot machine.
La Societe Anon. .d'Exploitation des Procedes Malbay, 1, Rue BilIant, La Courneuve, Seine, making the Malbay machine.
La SocieteNerac, Lot et Garonne, making the Also machine.
• La Societedes Gazogenes G.E.P.E.A., 44, n-ue Blanche, Paris, making the G.E.P.E.A. machine.
Les Gazogenes Barbier, 6, Rue de Madrid, Paris, making the Barhier machine.
Societe Francais de Vierzon, Vierzon, Cher, France, making the Vierzon machine for agricultural tractors.
Societe Anon. du Generateur Rex, 11-13, Rue de Belzunce, Paris, making the Rex machine (for carbonite).
• Gazogenes Tractor, 55, Rue de Rivoii, Paris, making the Tractor machine. • E.T.I.A., Bruxelles, making the E.T.LA. machine.
Messrs. Sapame, 118, Rue Beauniur, Paris, making the Maroz machine.
The E.T.I.A, machine, although of Belgian origin, is now (practically, .a French product. The works are at 88, Route de Gonesse, Saint-Denis, Seine, France.
State assistance in the way of relief from taxation is undoubtedly of great value to the gas-machine in: dustry in so far as the home market is concerned. For instance, an industrial vehicle of 40 hp,. is taxed 4,590 francs a year in France. The same vehicle, using gas, is taxed at only 2,295 francs per annum.
The list of entries for the French military gas-producer trials, which are to be held from April 7th to July 7th, previdea a fair indication of the position which the gazogene has already reached in the Trench heavy vehicle . trade. Forty-four lorries have been entered, representing 12
manufacturers. • • .
The vehicles in these trials axe divided into 5-ton and 3S-ton categories. They include Berliet, Panhard-Levassor, Renault, Saurer, De Dion, Delahaye, Peitgeot, .Soinua, Desvalcl, Aries, Pierce-Arrow and Willeme (the French-assembled Liberty). Chenard-Walcker entered a lorry, but it is understood that this will not run in the trials as the gas machine is not quite sufficiently advanced yet.
With regard to the gas producers, Berliet will use their own, a wood fuel appliance. Incidentally, , the Berliet Machine is the only one entered for the trials using wood as a fuel. Panhard-Levassor will use their own generator employing carbonite pellets. Carbonite as a fuel for gas producers has made sensational progress in France since it was first described in The Commercial Motor about a year ago. Eight or ten of the vehicles entered for these trials are using this compressed fuel.
One of the Willemes, or French Liberty lorries, will use the Malbay gas machine with supercharger, the other, a Rex producer, using Carbonite. The De Dions will he fitted with Rex generators using Carbonite.
The Pierce-Arrows will be fitted with G.E.P.E.A. maaines using charcoal. The Aries will probably be fitted with Rex machines using Carlionite. Renault will use their new machine, which is not yet on the market. The fuel employed will be Carbonite. For the rest, the makera of the remaining lorries entered hSve not yet given details as to the machines they are using.