The French "Other Fuels" Rally.
Page 45
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TEE French demonstration trials for vehicles using fuels other than petrol are now in full swing. The event is chiefly a publicity affair, but it is interesting from the really remarkable number of different fuels which are being employed.' The fuel question is a very serious matter indeed in France, and the organizers met with a hearty measure of support from the trade. Altogether 52 vehicles were entered, most of them being industrial machines.
The fuels in use include wood, char: coal, compressed charcoal pellets, acety
• lene gas, alcohol, and a number of pro
• priietary motor spirits which are not Petrol but have some of the properties of petrol, such as the French " Carburant -National."
The list includes two Berliet light vans using the Berliet wood-fuel gasproducer ; two 2i-ton Renault lorries fitted with the Renault wood-fuel gas producer ; two cars running on " Ketol,". a spirit mixture ; a military eamionette using the ".Carburant National " ; a 34-ton Panhard lorry using the Panhard and Levassor. gas-producer ; a Peugeot car using compressed gas ; two cars using the Gaulois system; which consists of injecting acetylene gas into the induction pipe and using paraffin as a main fuel; a Pipe lorry using the Belgian charcoal gas-producer Warnant ; a. De Dion-Bouton' lorry fitted with the Rex generator, which is designed to use Carbonits pellets ; a lorry fitted with the Barbier charcoal gas-proclucer ; and a big Renault motor coach fitted with the
Renault charcoal gas-producer. .
The vehicles left the Place de la Concorde, Paris, on September 4th, and they are making a long round of French industrial centres. The actual daily runs are not very long, as they are followed by exhibitions of vehicles in the various
towns and the usual series of banquets. Whilst the event is not in the nature of a competition' the running of the vehicles will be under the observation of highly-qualified technical men, and the results should be both interesting and useful.
The arrival of the convoy arouses very great Interest in the French provincial towns. Petrol costs from 15.50 francs to 16 francs for the small five-litre tin in France, and anything which holds out a hope of cheaper transport naturally interests the public. Even the secondgrade spirit costs 14.75 francs per tin.
The route followed by the vehicles in the Rallaye, as it is called, is Paris, Deauville, Vire, Dinard, Rennes, lee Mans, Rouen, Bauvais, Amiens, Lille, Saint Quentin, Compiegne, Paris. The machines are due back in Paris on September Xllith. Same of the participating vehicles are illustrated on p. 97.