Currently the United States uses about twice as much gasoline than diesel. There are, however, many reasons why the US will begin using more diesel in the future:
- Better fuel efficiency
Diesel engines can get significantly better mileage (10%-40%) than a similar gas powered vehicle
- Diesel engines use the more efficient direct fuel-injection method (fuel injected directly into cylinder) compared to the port fuel-injection setup in gas engines where gas is mixed with incoming air in the intake manifold, the diesel system has little wasted or unburned fuel.
- Diesels also use about one third as much fuel at idle as gasoline units.
- Higher Energy Density
Diesel fuel has a higher energy density than gasoline - 147,000Btus versus 125,000 Btus (18% higher energy density) - Flexibility of Fuel in On Road Use
Diesel engines has been proven to produce horsepower like a gasoline engine by winning at Lemans, while only diesel is able to produce real torque for towing large loads. - Diversity of Uses
While gasoline is used primarily for light duty vehicle use diesel has a wide variety of applications including: light duty cars and trucks, big rigs, construction, municipal and farm vehicles, buses, generators, trains, boats, heating oil, lubricants etc. - Cost Less to Refine
Diesel fuel is easier to refine and therefore takes less time to get from raw petroleum to final product than gasoline - Lower Emissions
Diesel vehicles are naturally 20-40 percent more energy efficient than gasoline vehicles resulting in a 10-20 percent reduction in GHG emissions - Cheaper Maintenance and Longer Engine Life
The average gas engine is good for only around 125,000 miles before needing a rebuild. A diesel can go more than three times this amount before needing an overhaul - No Real Replacement
While there may be replacements for gasoline powered cars (hydrogen, electric etc.) there are simply no similar replacements for the diesel engine on the horizon
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