Katerina Swanson
Fuel injection systems have been around for over a century, with the first fuel injection system resembling those of today invented by British engineer Herbert Akroyd Stuart in 1885. However, fuel injection in cars only started to become standard in the 1950s, with the Goliath GP700 in 1952 being the first car to feature fuel injection. By the 1970s, fuel injection was appearing in mainstream cars, and it had largely replaced carburetors by the early 1990s. Since the mid-1990s, it has been impossible to buy a new car without fuel injection in Europe.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| First fuel-injected engines for passenger car use | Late 1930s and early 1940s |
| First examples of fuel injection in cars | 1950s |
| First cars known to use an electronic fuel injection (EFI) system | 1958 |
| Fuel injection appearing in mainstream cars | 1970s |
| Throttle body injection (TBI) introduced to the market | 1980s |
| Carburettors reached their limits | Late 1980s and early 1990s |
| Mitsubishi introduced gasoline direct injection (GDI) systems | 1996 |
| It became impossible to buy a new car without fuel injection in Europe | Mid-1990s |
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What You'll Learn
Early fuel injection in cars
Fuel injection in cars has been around in some form for over a century. The first fuel injection system that resembled those of today was invented by British engineer Herbert Akroyd Stuart in 1885. The first mass-produced fuel-injected engines for passenger car use became available in the late 1930s and early 1940s. However, these were diesel engines, and fuel injection for petrol engines only appeared in the 1950s.
The first fuel injection for petrol engines, a reworked diesel system, appeared on the Goliath GP700 in 1952. In 1954, the Mercedes-Benz Formula 1 team fitted its "Silver Arrow" W196 racecar with Bosch direct injection derived from the system used in the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter plane from World War II. The 2.5-litre engine produced 257 hp without supercharging, a stunning figure for the time.
In the 1950s, the British company Lucas developed its own variant of fuel injection, which was fitted to Jaguar racecars, resulting in a Jaguar D-type winning the Le Mans in 1955. This system was later modified for use in F1, and teams like Cooper, BRM, Lotus, Matra, Brabham, and Tyrrell used it to win the championship several times between 1959 and 1973. For production cars, Lucas modified the injection control to vacuum, and the system was fitted to various Jaguar, Aston Martin, Triumph, and Maserati models until the mid-1970s.
In 1958, the first commercially available electronic fuel injection (EFI) system, the Bendix Electrojector, debuted in several models made by the American brands AMC and Rambler. However, the system was riddled with problems, and it was eventually fitted to only a few dozen cars, most of which were later converted back to four-barrel carburettors.
By the 1970s, fuel injection was appearing in mainstream cars. In 1974, Bosch introduced the L-Jetronic system, a pulsed flow system that used an air flow meter to calculate the amount of fuel required. This system was widely adopted in European cars during the 1970s and 1980s.
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The 1950s and 1970s
Fuel injection in cars first started to appear in the 1950s. German companies Bosch and Mercedes-Benz dominated the early era of fuel injection, although Alfa Romeo did experiment with the technology in the 1940 Mille Miglia road race. In the 1950s, the British company Lucas developed its own variant of fuel injection, which was fitted to Jaguar racecars. This system was later modified for use in F1, and teams using it won the championship several times between 1959 and 1973.
By the 1970s, fuel injection was appearing in mainstream cars. The modified Lucas system was fitted to various Jaguar, Aston Martin, Triumph, and Maserati models until the mid-1970s. In 1958, the Chrysler 300D, DeSoto Adventurer, Dodge D-500, and Plymouth Fury offered the Electrojector system, becoming the first cars known to use an electronic fuel injection (EFI) system.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the mechanical carburettor reached its limits, and fuel injection became the standard system. Since the mid-1990s, it has been impossible to buy a new car without fuel injection in Europe. When Mitsubishi widely introduced their gasoline direct injection (GDI) systems in 1996, most initial problems were caused by fuel that was incorrectly formulated for direct fuel injection systems.
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Advantages of fuel injection
Fuel injection in cars first appeared in the 1950s, with German companies Bosch and Mercedes-Benz dominating the early era of this technology. By the 1970s, fuel injection was appearing in mainstream cars, and since the mid-1990s, it has been standard in all new cars sold in Europe.
Now, onto the advantages of fuel injection:
Fuel injection systems can monitor and adjust the air-fuel ratio for each cylinder individually, ensuring optimal performance. This ability to constantly tune the fuel and air intake for each cylinder improves performance, especially when compared to carburettors, which cannot monitor the air-fuel ratio for each cylinder. This results in a higher power output and greater fuel efficiency.
Fuel injection systems also result in lower emissions, which is a significant advantage given the tightening of environmental regulations. Single-point injection, for example, was a relatively low-cost way for automakers to reduce exhaust emissions while also improving "driveability" (ease of starting, smooth running, and reduced engine stuttering).
Additionally, fuel injection systems can decrease vibration and help vehicles overcome steep grades, making them advantageous for off-roading.
The precision of fuel injection systems also means that they can be used with advanced engine designs, such as four or two-stroke engines, which require precise amounts of fuel and air to be injected into the cylinder according to engine load conditions.
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The 1990s and 2000s
During the 1990s and 2000s, advancements were made in fuel injection technology, with the introduction of multi-port injection (MPI) and gasoline direct injection (GDI) systems. MPI was introduced on a limited number of higher-end vehicles to improve cylinder-to-cylinder fuel distribution and meet stricter government emissions and fuel economy standards. GDI systems, which inject gasoline directly into the cylinders, were widely introduced by Mitsubishi in 1996. However, initial problems with GDI systems were caused by fuel that was incorrectly formulated for direct injection systems.
In the 21st century, the use of direct injection in petrol engines has become increasingly common. Throttle body injection (TBI) was one of the first domestic fuel injection systems to enter the market, designed to easily replace carburettors on existing engine designs. Today, fuel injection systems have become standard in most modern cars, with various types of fuel injection systems available, including MPI, GDI, and TBI.
Overall, the 1990s and 2000s were a significant period for the standardisation and advancement of fuel injection technology in cars, leading to its widespread adoption and continued refinement in the 21st century.
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Carburettors vs fuel injection
Fuel injection and carburettors are the two primary types of fuel delivery systems used in cars, motorcycles, and planes. The first fuel injection examples started to appear in the 1950s, and by the 1970s, fuel injection was appearing in mainstream cars. Since the mid-1990s, it has been impossible to buy a new car without fuel injection in Europe.
Carburettors
Carburettors are a simple and effective fuel induction method. They use a Venturi Tube that narrows in a section, reducing air pressure and creating a vacuum. This vacuum effect pulls fuel into the carburettor, and the ratio of fuel to air is adjusted using two valves: the choke and the throttle. The choke reduces air and increases the flow of fuel, which is useful for starting the engine. The throttle valve controls how much of the mixture flows into the engine, and therefore the acceleration of the vehicle. Carburettors are straightforward, mechanical devices, but they have their limitations. They can struggle with maintaining the correct air-fuel ratio, especially when dealing with temperature or altitude variations, leading to decreased engine efficiency, variable performance, and higher emissions.
Fuel Injection
The basic idea behind fuel injection is to precisely measure and time the injection of fuel into the intake manifold or combustion chamber. This accuracy allows for the optimisation of combustion, increasing power output and fuel economy. Fuel injection systems adjust to shifting environmental factors, assuring constant performance. They also assist in reducing hazardous exhaust emissions, helping automakers adhere to environmental requirements. Engines with fuel injection replacements often display a faster throttle response, smoother acceleration, and higher power output than carburetted engines.
Fuel injection is a more modern system, offering increased precision, performance, and efficiency. It is also better for the environment. However, some people still prefer carburettors due to their simplicity and reliability.
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Frequently asked questions
Fuel injection became commonplace in the 1990s, although it was first introduced in the 1950s and gradually gained prevalence until it had largely replaced carburetors by the early 1990s.
The primary difference is that fuel injection atomizes the fuel through a small nozzle under high pressure, while carburetors rely on suction created by intake air accelerated through a Venturi tube to draw fuel into the airstream.
Fuel injection offers increased fuel economy and power. It also provides better "driveability", including easy starting, smooth running, and no engine stuttering.
The basic idea of fuel injection has been around for over a century. The first fuel injection system that resembled modern systems was invented by British engineer Herbert Akroyd Stuart in 1885. The first fuel-injected engines for passenger car use became available in the late 1930s and early 1940s.
Alfa Romeo, Goliath, Mercedes-Benz, and Bosch were among the first to experiment with fuel injection in the 1940s and 1950s.
