Gary Monroe
Gas or Diesel?
10/26/14
S. Lee
Gas or Diesel? For many years consumers in the United States have viewed diesel as a non-option for an alternative to traditional gasoline. This is due to a major stigma against diesel fuel and a plethora of myths and outdated 'facts ' about it. While other countries have diesel as a major share of the automotive market, the United States diesel sales make up less than 5% of the market. Although many in the United States are against diesel as an alternative to normal gasoline, it is an option that should be considered. One of the biggest problems Americans have with diesel is that they believe it is smelly and dirty. While this was true at one time, it has not been true for many years. While
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While most vehicles that ran on diesel in the past were very noisy inside the cabin and out, new diesel vehicles are much quieter in both cases. Diesel engines are known for a knocking sound, and with new technologies developed by Audi and Bosch, this knock has been reduced to a much softer sound, decreasing overall engine sound. This means a quieter and more comfortable ride for the driver and passengers. Another concern which most car buyers share is the cost of diesel over the cost of gasoline. While diesel was much cheaper than gasoline in the past, it has become more expensive in recent years. This leads to many believing that a diesel car is more costly to own than a car which runs on standard low octane gasoline. This is also untrue due to the greater energy potential in diesel fuel. Because of the greater energy in diesel, gas mileage is increased significantly. A good example of this is the new 2015 Volkswagen Jetta. The gasoline variant is rated at 25 miles per gallon city and 34 miles per gallon highway. The diesel version of the same car is rated at 31 miles per gallon city and 46 miles per gallon highway. These diesels are also known to be underestimated in their fuel economy. One specific example is Business Insider 's test of three Audi diesel vehicles. Each of these vehicles surpassed th EPA estimate, one by nearly 10 miles per gallon. Diesel is also used in many commercial vehicles such as tractor-trailers. This is because
It may be a diesel engine, but it does not feature the rocking or all of the noise that is associated with typical diesel engines. This is due to the Centrifugal Pendulum Vibration Absorber
In addition, consumer must be aware that there are better alternatives to hybrids on market. Thanks to advancing technology, many petro powered and diesel powered vehicle get similar EPA fuel economy on highway. From German automotive manufacture, they have developed Clean Diesel such as Blue Tec from Mercedes-Benz and TDI from Volkswagen which
Diesel is the fuel of choice in the European automotive market, due to the fact that it provides high-torque, efficient alternative to gasoline. The American view of diesel, however, is much less positive overall – most Americans remember the noisy, smoky diesels of decades past and know little about the quiet, clean diesels of the present. One of the best arguments for the switch to diesel fuel in the United States is that a fueling infrastructure is already in place, as transportation companies rely on diesel fuel to distribute goods across the United States (Is Diesel). This would negate the need to construct an entirely new infrastructure, which could cost hundreds of billions of dollars. Diesel is also considerably more environmentally friendly than gasoline, due to the fact that it is less refined (a process which uses large amounts of energy) and that it is more efficient than gasoline (ACEA). The combustion process in a diesel engine, which exerts high pressure on the fuel to ignite it, is the source of the motor’s increased
You’re in the market for a new truck; you have an idea about what you want but not quite sure if you want a gasoline or a diesel engine. Well, gas and diesel engines are very similar yet different in quite a few ways.
When it comes to the environmental impact that gas and diesel engines have. It turns out that gasoline is more unstable than diesel, not because of what its base consists of, but because of the additives it contains. In addition, vehicles that use diesel tend to be more fuel-efficient and produce less greenhouse gases. Diesel is more environmentally friendly. The United States has what is considered to be the dirtiest diesel, but as of June 1, 2010 this is going to be different. U.S. diesel fuel has a lower measure of ignition quality. This means that when it is cold outside, ignition performance is poor and can result in higher emissions. This is why you see truck drivers idling their trucks all night long in cold weather rather than risk a troublesome start in the mornings. But, the sulfur in the diesel that is emitted during cold ignitions and long engine idling is still harmful to the environment because the sulfurs prevent the control of diesel particulate emissions through diesel particulate filters. This is changing, though, since new advanced technologies such as nitrogen oxide absorbers are being developed to reduce these emissions. As for gasoline, it is the non-aliphatic hydrocarbons as well as carcinogenic additives
The current sources of fuel for gasoline and diesel vehicles are limited to gasoline, diesel, and biodiesel fuel. As of October 18, 2010, the average price for regular grade gasoline was $2.834 per gallon while the average price for diesel was $3.07 per gallon. Only the biodiesel fuel labeled B2, B5, and B20 can be used in a standard diesel vehicle without engine modifications. The average for B20 fuel mirrors the price of standard diesel fuel at $3.07 per gallon.
The second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States is related to transportation, the burning of oil to produce energy in a combustion motor. The combustion process inside of engines is what produces the carbon matter that is emitted into the air through the exhaust system on gas-powered vehicles. Gas-powered transportation is accountable for 24 percent of the global carbon emissions; this should not come as much of a surprise given the amount of urban sprawl that is being seen in the United States and across the globe. In the past decade, the Environmental Protection Agency, the United States government, and major car manufacturers have been working in conjunction to find ways to provide a “greener” form of transportation (EPA, 2011). This has included testing the use of hydropower, ethanol, natural gas, biodiesel, and electricity as a means of powering vehicles, which has led to the introduction of hybrid vehicles. Hybrid vehicles run on electricity and gasoline, the byproduct of oil that is generally used in the engine combustion process of vehicles (U.S. Department of
We have developed a process that has been successful in improving fuel economy and engine life while simultaneously reducing harmful emissions output.
There are many factors that need to considered when deciding between a diesel or gas pickup. One of which is the potential fuel economy. When looking at fuel economy, diesel pickups tend to get more miles to each gallon. But there are other things that need to be taken into consideration when thinking about fuel economy. Even though diesel will get better MPG the cost of fuel per gallon is usually more expensive than gasoline. I have only seen it where
An estimated 480,000 school buses are in use every day in the US. About 95% of these buses (456,000) are using diesel fuel, using 822,857,143 gallons per year, which produces 95,000 tons of smog. This smog is not only incredibly damaging to the environment, but has cancer causing effects on the children the buses are transporting. Diesel exhaust has been proven to cause lung cancer, damage eyes and increse symptoms of illnesses such as asthma and heart disease. Not only that, but the fuels affect on the environment is huge, causing incredible amounts of damage to the ozone layer and increasing global warming. This issue could be stopped in many ways. Propane, or other alternate fuels could be used instead of diesel. Another way is that the
Because diesel fuel is easier to refine, taking less time to get from raw petroleum to final product than gasoline, it's usually priced lower than gas. However, occasionally in the U.S., diesel is priced the same or more than regular unleaded gas. This is often because diesel isn't as desirable in some areas leading to higher diesel prices. However, diesel advocates say that if more people drove diesel light trucks and cars, the price would drop dramatically in these areas--and possibly throughout the
From 2009 through 2014, Volkswagen aggressively marketed and promoted their diesel-powered vehicles as more energy-efficient and producing less harmful emissions than before. Customers were promised that diesel was a more efficient alternative to traditional gasoline, and that it had great benefits for customers looking for a “greener” alternative.
Gas engines versus diesel engines has got to be one of the biggest controversial topics in the automotive world. People have been arguing which is better for years upon years, and it is time to finally come to a conclusion. Anyone can probably notice that in almost every family there is a certain vehicle preference based off of the engine that runs them, but the term vehicle is extremely broad. To be more specific, especially in the southern part of the United States, those families have specific truck engines that they prefer. Either a person drives a truck for work or they drive a truck because they love them. Either way, nearly everyone in most of the United States has at least one truck in their family because they are just simply work horses. It’s also a huge part of the culture in the south to have a truck. Just about every boy and even a lot of girls want their first vehicle to be a truck. A pickup is one of the most reliable tools someone can own. Nearly every pickup enthusiast or working individual needs a gas or diesel truck, and the better choice is a diesel truck.
Now while diesel prices have averaged 14 percent more per gallon than gasoline over that last decade (Staff @ WorkTruckOnline, 2011), there is an equalizer in this whole situation. The diesel’s fuel economy advantage over the gasoline powered version actually balances out the cost of the two fuels with each’s relative fuel economy. A diesel vehicle emits more greenhouse gas emissions when burnt than gasoline, but its higher energy content per gallon results in higher fuel efficiency for the vehicle. So, as a result, the diesel can go further on a single gallon than a gasoline truck, meaning it produces very similar greenhouse gas emissions as the gasoline powered engine, while running nearly the same cost for fuel per mile as a gasoline powered
Diesel, also a byproduct of crude oil, accounts for about 7-9% of the world's CO2 output. With a much higher density than gasoline, one gallon weighs about 7.5 pounds, and releases 22-23 pounds of CO2 per gallon burned. After combustion, one gallon of diesel produces 38.6 mega joules of energy, enough to move an average sedan about 45 miles. However, because it is so much denser than gasoline, one barrel of crude oil will one result in about 12 gallons of diesel fuel. (Strandell,