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Official Statistics Show Vast Field Open for Development of the Oil Engine
THERE is a tendency to regard the oil engine as more widely used than it in fact is. Astudy of official statistics will quickly remove any misconception about the continuing dominance of petrol in goods transport, although the oil engine is making progress. Government statistics also emphasize the directions in which the undoubted qualities of the compression-ignition unit require to be exploited.
Apart from vehicles used by farmers, showmen, local authorities (for watering purposes) and tower wagons, there were 1,057,337 goods vehicles in Great Britain at the end of September, 1955 (the latest date for which information is available), an increase of 71 per cent. on the number a year earlier. Of these, 931,368 were propelled by petrol and 105,765 by oil fuel. There were still about nine petrol vehicles for every goods oiler.
This is remarkable at a time when economic stringency is pressing and the reduction of transport costs is essential. It is also significant of the relative responsibility of the oil engine for air pollution.
Oilers Increase by 391 Per Cent.
Compression ignition is,. however, gaining ground, for whereas petrol goods vehicles increased by 51 per cent., oilers rose by 391 per cent. Nevertheless, there Is still a huge untapped market for the oil engine among the lighter types of vehicle. _ In the class not exceeding 3 tons unladen there were in September last 881,048 petrol vehicles, compared with only 38,365 oilers—a preponderance of 23 to one. Although there was a 74 per cent, increase in compression-ignition vehicles, compared with one of merely 5 per cent, in petrol vehicles, the possibilities of development are obvious.
Manufacturers are well alive to them. There are already several successful oil engines suitable for the lighter lorries and vans, and others are on the way. A completely new unit of this class will appear at the Commercial Motor Show at Earls Court next month and will open LID a wide field for economy in local distribution.
It is the C-licensee who requires particularly to be impressed with the advantages of using oil fuel, for it is he who employs most widely the small vehicles that offer such scope for conversion. Ancillary users are also by far the most numerous In the year to June last, their number increased by 41 per cent. to 480,874 and the total number of C-licence vehicles advanced by 51 per cent. to 971,065. Of these, 575,278 weighed up to l4 tons u,nladen This class showed by far the biggest increase-41,520, equal to 71 per cent.
The extent to which the small user can be won over to oil fuel depends partly on the maintenance facilities available. Most of the local garages that take care of traders' vans are unable to deal with oilers and the number of specialists is small.
Plan for Maintenance Specialized repairers must, to earn a living, necessarily spread their nets over a wider area than a local garage. Will the tradesman be willing to send an oiler perhaps 20 miles to a qualified engineer when, if he stuck to petrol, he could have his van serviced by the garage round the corner? The solution of the maintenance problem lies probably in a limited number of specialists, whose efforts would be supplemented by the suitably trained staffs of the leading garages in towns.
It is among lorries over 3 tons unladen that oil fuel is supreme. Last September there were 67,400 oilers in this class, compared with 50,320 petrol vehicles. Oilers increased by 25 per cent., but it is perhaps surprising that petrol lorries and vans should also have shown an advance, although by only 3 per cent.
In passenger transport, of course, the compression-ignition engine greatly outnumbers the petrol unit. In September last there were 60,278 oil-engined hackneys with more than eight seats, against 14,428 petrol vehicles. Nevertheless, some operators of the smaller coaches who hastily converted to oil are now regretting the change, because of the greater vibration of the compression-ignition unit.