STEAM, ELECTRICITY OR PETROL?

Waipa Post, Volume XIX, Issue 1088, 7 May 1921, Page 2

STEAM, ELECTRICITY OR PETROL?

The electric, petrol, and steam-pro-pelled vehicles are about to enter on a struggle for supremacy in the road transport world ( says a writer in an English paper). As far as development has gone at present it would appear that the electric vehicle is the one for short journeys where frequent stopping is necessary and where the load to be carried is of mo great weight, say not more than 15cwt. to one ton. Under 'similar conditions, hut for heavier loads the steam vehicle is the ideal and before going further, a word may perhaps be devoted to the meaning of frequent stopping and starting. One is apt to look upon frequent stopping and starting as only necessary when one is makingnumerous calls on a given trip. This attitude, however, is apt to be misleading, encouraging one, as it does, to ignore such considerations as the traffic that is to be negotiated in one's usual round. From a point of view of the vehicle it does not matter whether a stop is to be for delivery or collection of a load or through a traffic block. Consequently, where the area to be traversed is one in which traffic is thick the electric and steam vehicles score to advantage over their internal combustion engined rival's. The latter is the only one of the three that normally wastes fuel or its equivalent when standing still for a temporary stop. Where the internal combustion engine scores over either of its rivals and where, so far as present knowledge goes, it would appear likely to remain supreme, is in delivery over long distances where speed is of consideration. The road vehicle propelled by steam or electricity, that can compare with a petrol > ehicle for speed has yet to make its appearance. It is unfortunate that the carrying capacity of the. petrol vehicle is somewhat limited by constructional consideratons, but there are sure signs that this limitation is likely to be overcome in the not very distant future.