El Kamina

Fuel from the thickets

Wood gas was common fuel during the World War II, when there were no oil-based fuels available in Finland. Gas-generators were, however, abandoned soon after war when rationing of gasoline sales ended in 1949. Today at the 21st century alternative sources of energy are again actual because of increasing price of oil and general interest on environmental questions.

• Make of the car: Chevrolet El Camino, 1987
• Engine: 350 cid (5,7 l), super charged, automatic transmission
• Fuel: Wood, alternatively petrol
• Fuel consumption: Wood about 40 kg / 100 km. Fuel expense: about 2 ¤/100 km
• Operation distance: About 200 km/ filling (possible to take fuel on board enough for 700 km drive)
• Top speed: over 120 km/h
• Dead weight: ~ 2 300 kg
• Wood gas-generator system: Built during 2007
• Electronic control of engine: Motec M800. Electronic mixture control based on exhaust lambda measurement. Possibility for wood gas and petrol dual fuel operation.
• Automatic ignition of wood gas-generator.
• Exhaust emission: Meets E4-norm regulations on wood gas.

See picture of car and gas-generating system. Wood gas-generator for this car is built according to plans of Vesa Mikkonen as described in manual Wood gas for mobile applications.