Sylvie Willis
The history of fuel-injected automobiles dates back to the early 1900s, with the first fuel injection system resembling those of today invented by British engineer Herbert Akroyd Stuart in 1885. The first petrol engine with direct injection was a two-stroke aircraft engine designed by Otto Mader in 1916. In the 1940s, racers and hot-rodders began to experiment with mechanical fuel injection, and by the 1950s, Mercedes-Benz had embraced it. The first production electronic fuel injection automobiles were the 1958 American Motors Electrojector, with only 35 units delivered to consumers.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| First fuel injection system | Invented by British engineer and engine builder, Herbert Akroyd Stuart |
| First fuel-injected engines for passenger car use | Mass-produced diesel engines for Mercedes-Benz OM 138, available in the late 1930s and early 1940s |
| First petrol engine with direct-injection | A two-stroke aircraft engine designed by Otto Mader in 1916 |
| First production electronic fuel injection automobiles | Chrysler's 300D, DeSoto Adventurer, Dodge D-500, and Plymouth Fury |
| First Electronic Engine Control Modules for fuel-injected engines | Motorola in 1980 |
| First engine available on an American-sold vehicle to use throttle body injection | The G10 engine in the 2000 Chevrolet Metro |
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What You'll Learn
- The first fuel-injected car was the 1957 Corvette by Chevrolet
- The first petrol engine with direct injection was designed in 1916
- The first fuel injection system resembling modern systems was invented in 1885
- The first production electronic fuel injection automobiles were by American Motors
- The first Electronic Engine Control Modules for fuel-injected engines were produced in 1980
The first fuel-injected car was the 1957 Corvette by Chevrolet
The history of fuel injection in automobiles dates back to the early 1900s, with the first fuel injection system resembling those of today invented by British engineer Herbert Akroyd Stuart in 1885. However, the use of fuel injection in engines has a longer history, initially appearing in aircraft engines as early as 1902 and continuing through World War I and World War II. During the 1940s, racers and hot-rodders began experimenting with mechanical fuel injection, and by the 1950s, Mercedes-Benz had embraced it, outfitting a 300SLR with a Bosch direct-injected aircraft engine in 1955.
The 1957 Corvette by Chevrolet marked a shift towards fuel injection in automobile engines. In the following years, several manufacturers introduced their manifold injection systems for petrol engines. Lucas Industries, for instance, had developed a fuel injection system by 1956, which was used in Jaguar racing cars. By 1958, American Motors had worked out glitches in the Electrojector system, leading to its adoption by Chrysler for several models, making them the first production electronic fuel injection automobiles.
The 1960s saw mechanical fuel injection used sparingly in the US, mainly in racing applications, due to the primitive design being unsuitable for street use. However, European automakers like Porsche, Peugeot, Audi, BMW, Aston Martin, Triumph, and Volkswagen began outfitting select models with Bosch Jetronic mechanical fuel injection systems in the late 1960s through the mid-1970s. The first electronic fuel injection (EFI) system offered in a production vehicle was developed by Bendix, an American corporation, which was later absorbed by Honeywell in 1983.
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The first petrol engine with direct injection was designed in 1916
The history of fuel-injected automobiles dates back to the early 1900s. Initially, mechanical fuel injection was used exclusively in aircraft engines, starting in 1902 and continuing through World War I and World War II. The first petrol engine with direct injection was a two-stroke aircraft engine designed by Otto Mader in 1916. This engine, built for the Junkers airplane, was an early prototype of a gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine.
Another early spark-ignition engine to use direct injection was the 1925 Hesselman engine, designed by Swedish engineer Jonas Hesselman. This engine could run on a variety of fuels, including oil, kerosene, petrol, or diesel oil, and used a stratified charge principle. The Cummins Model H diesel truck engine was introduced in America in 1933, and in 1936, the Mercedes-Benz OM 138 diesel engine became one of the first fuel-injected engines used in a mass-production passenger car.
During World War II, several petrol engines for aircraft used direct-injection systems, and by the 1950s, mechanical fuel injection was being used in racing applications. In 1954, a Bosch mechanical direct-injection system was used in the Mercedes-Benz W196 Formula One racing car, and the following year, the first four-stroke direct-injection petrol engine for a passenger car was released in the Mercedes-Benz 300SL sports car. However, this engine suffered from lubrication problems, and subsequent Mercedes-Benz engines switched to a manifold injection design.
In the 1960s, mechanical fuel injection was used sparingly in the U.S., and European automakers began experimenting with mechanical fuel injection for production vehicles. By the early 1990s, fuel injection had largely replaced carburetors in passenger car petrol engines. The first mass-produced petrol direct-injection system was developed by Bosch and introduced in the 1950s, but it wasn't until the 1990s that GDI saw rapid adoption by the automotive industry.
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The first fuel injection system resembling modern systems was invented in 1885
The history of fuel-injected automobiles dates back to the early 1900s, but the first fuel injection system resembling modern systems was invented much earlier, in 1885. This early system was the work of British engineer and engine builder Herbert Akroyd Stuart, who made a discovery about the combustion of kerosene while working with the substance in his laboratory.
Akroyd Stuart's discovery was the result of an accident. He accidentally spilled a flask of kerosene into a pot of molten tin, causing a blaze. He learned from this incident that while liquid kerosene is difficult to ignite, its vapours will eagerly light up. This discovery led to the creation of the hot-bulb engine, which entered production under licence in 1891. These engines, known as Hornsby-Akroyd engines, were manufactured by Richard Hornsby and Sons and used in both agriculture and shipping.
While the Hornsby-Akroyd engines were the first fuel injection system resembling modern systems, it would still be many decades before fuel injection was widely adopted in automobiles. In the intervening years, carburettors were used for decades with great success. However, when it came to clean air and precise air-to-fuel ratios, carburettors were often unpredictable.
In the 1940s, racers and hot-rodders began to experiment with mechanical fuel injection, and by the 1950s, Mercedes-Benz had embraced it in the form of Bosch direct injection. In 1955, a 300SLR with a Bosch direct-injected aircraft engine was driven to victory in the Italian Mille Miglia, a 1,000-mile endurance race. In the same year, the first four-stroke direct-injection petrol engine for a passenger car was released in the Mercedes-Benz 300SL sports car.
In the following decades, fuel injection gradually gained prevalence, largely replacing carburettors by the early 1990s. The primary difference between carburettors and fuel injection is that fuel injection atomises the fuel through a small nozzle under high pressure, while carburettors rely on suction created by intake air accelerated through a Venturi tube to draw fuel into the airstream.
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The first production electronic fuel injection automobiles were by American Motors
The history of fuel-injected automobiles dates back to the early 1900s. Initially, fuel injection was used exclusively in aircraft engines, with the first petrol engine with direct injection being a two-stroke aircraft engine designed by Otto Mader in 1916. In 1936, the Mercedes-Benz OM 138 diesel engine became one of the first fuel-injected engines used in a mass-production passenger car. During World War II, several aircraft engines used direct-injection systems, and by the 1950s, fuel injection began to be used in racing cars.
In 1957, Chevrolet introduced the Corvette, equipped with a mechanically fuel-injected 283-cubic inch V8 engine. However, mechanical fuel injection was used sparingly in the US during the 1960s, almost exclusively in racing applications. By the end of the decade, European automakers began experimenting with mechanical fuel injection for production vehicles, with manufacturers such as Porsche, Peugeot, Audi, BMW, and Volkswagen outfitting select models with fuel injection systems.
By the mid-1970s, European automakers had adopted EFI systems, with manufacturers such as Citroen, Saab, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and Jaguar producing automobiles with EFI. In 1980, Motorola produced the first Electronic Engine Control Modules for fuel-injected engines, and automakers began discontinuing carbureted fuel delivery engines in the mid-1980s. In the 1990s, single-point injection was used extensively in American-made passenger cars and light trucks, and direct injection systems gained popularity in the automotive market due to their efficiency, power, and performance advantages.
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The first Electronic Engine Control Modules for fuel-injected engines were produced in 1980
The history of fuel-injected automobiles dates as far back as the early 1900s. Initially, mechanical fuel injection was used exclusively in aircraft engines, with the first petrol engine with direct injection being a two-stroke aircraft engine designed by Otto Mader in 1916. During World War I and World War II, mechanical fuel injection was used in aircraft engines, and by the 1940s, it was being experimented with in racing cars. In the 1950s, mechanical fuel injection was embraced by Mercedes-Benz, and in 1957, Chevrolet introduced the Corvette, equipped with a mechanically fuel-injected 283-cubic-inch V8.
In the 1960s, mechanical fuel injection was used sparingly in the US, almost exclusively in racing applications. European automakers like Porsche, Peugeot, Audi, BMW, Aston Martin, Triumph, and Volkswagen also experimented with mechanical fuel injection during this period. However, the primitive design for metering the amount of fuel delivered was unsuitable for street applications.
The first electronic fuel injection (EFI) system offered in a production vehicle was developed by Bendix, an American corporation, absorbed by Honeywell in 1983. By the 1970s, the Japanese electronics industry began producing integrated circuits and microcontrollers for controlling engines, and the Ford EEC (Electronic Engine Control) system went into mass production in 1975.
In 1980, the first Electronic Engine Control Modules for fuel-injected engines were produced, marking a significant advancement in engine technology. These modules, also known as Engine Control Units (ECUs) or Engine Control Modules (ECMs), revolutionized the way internal combustion engines were controlled. The ECMs of the mid-to-late 1980s could process more information and issue output commands faster than ever before, thanks to advancements in computer processing speed and data bus capacity. This enabled sequential fuel injection, which provided greater precision in fuel metering and improved engine efficiency.
The increased processing power of these modules allowed them to control fuel metering based on various input signals, resulting in more accurate timing and fuel metering over the life of the engine. This was especially important as emission regulations continued to tighten in the 1990s, requiring greater control over fuel injection systems to meet the standards.
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Frequently asked questions
The first fuel-injected car was the 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SLR, which was outfitted with a Bosch direct-injected aircraft engine.
Carburetors were used for decades and were largely replaced by fuel injection in the early 1990s. Fuel injection was more reliable for clean-air and precise air-to-fuel ratios, which carburetors often failed to deliver.
The first production electronic fuel injection automobiles were the Chrysler 300D, the DeSoto Adventurer, the Dodge D-500, and the Plymouth Fury, which were released in 1958.
The first fuel injection systems were based on diesel injection systems. The first mass-produced petrol direct-injection system was developed by Bosch and used in small automotive two-stroke petrol engines.
