Powell Gas Producer

The Powell Gas Producer came into its own with the advent of petrol rationing, which was introduced in Australia in July 1940. The petrol rationing was severe, restricting private motorists to about 40 miles per week. This was well before the days of Australia’s Bass Strait oil fields. Australia relied fully on imported fuel.

 

The unit burns wood, coal or briquettes to produce a gas to repla of petrol and thus power the engines.

Ford Australia worked with the University of Melbourne, the Vacuum Oil Co (later to become Mobil), Shell Oil Company, and the Powell Gas Producer Co to develop an efficient gas producer who would not gum up the engine with tar or cause excessive wear because of too many dust particles.

The result was a highly efficient version of the Powell Gas Producer (built in Perth, Western Australia).  Ford began mass production and fitting to new vehicles plus selling as after-market units to fit existing vehicles.

The Producer features several safety mechanisms that prevent dangerous levels of gas buildup during operation. It also removes all residual condensate from the system. Furthermore, with its advanced combustion control technology, this device provides maximum efficiency while eliminating unnecessary fuel wastage.

Too bad they aren’t on the “extras” list of new cars today. There were several gas producer manufacturers in Australia, Electrolux being one of them.