Diesels have experienced a great history here in the
United States. In 1980, General Motors modified
their 350ci gas V8 to run on diesel fuel. The result
however, wasn't that god. These engines offered
better fuel economy but little else. They were
very slow, and not very reliable.

Mercedes Benz on the other hand, had better luck
in the 1980s with an array of vehicles available
with diesel engines. These great vehicles offered
amazing durability although they were rough, noisy,
and smoked quite a bit. Volkswagon offered diesel
as well, although they had a habit for spewing
blue smoke from the tail pipe.

Throughout the 90s, Benz and Volkwagon offered
diesel vehicles in the United States, with each
generation becoming cleaner, smoother, and more
powerful than the last. Overall, they were a
tough sell as they still lacked the horsepower
that many were seeking.

Today, Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar, Volkswagon, Ford,
and many other manufacturers are offering diesels
to many markets throughout the world. To put it
simple, forget everything you know or think you
know about diesel engines in the United States.

These newer engines benefit from hundreds of
technical innovations. There are several diesels
in Europe that offer better acceleration than
their gasoline counter parts. BMW's 120d has
163bhp, goes 0 - 60 in under 8 seconds, and
achieves 49.6 miles per gallon.

Benz offers the C320 CDI SE that has 224bhp, and
over 360 lb foot of torque. This car gets just
under 48 mpg on the highway, with an acceleration
of 0 - 60 in under 7 seconds. Throughout North
America, you won't find a gasoline engine that
offers this unique blend of fuel economy and
excellent performance.

The reason why diesels haven't caught on in
North America comes down to one word - sulfur. We
have too much sulfur in the diesel here in the
United States. This cheap grade of diesel fuel
will run havoc on the more sophisticated diesels
offered overseas and cause an increase in
emissions.

There is hope however, as refiners will soon be
producing what is known as ultra low sulfur
diesel fuel. This will help to reduce the sulfur
content from 500ppm to 15ppm.

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Diesel Engines And Well Known Gas

In passenger cars, the diesel engine has never really
caught on. During the middle to late 70s, diesel
engines in passenger cars did notice a surge in
sales due to the OPEC oil embargo, although that is
the only real significant penetration that diesel
engines have made in the market.

Although diesel engines are more efficient, there
are eight historical problems that may have held
them back.
1. Due to the higher compression ratios,
diesel engines tend be heavier than the equivalent
gasoline engine.
2. Diesel vehicles and diesel engines tend to
be more expensive than gas.
3. Because of their weight and compression
ratio, diesel engines tend to have lower RPM ranges
than gas engines. This gives diesel engines more
torque rather than higher horsepower, and this tends
to make diesel vehicles slower in terms of acceleration.
4. Diesel engines have to be fuel injected,
and in the past fuel injection was very expensive
and less reliable.
5. Diesel engines tend to produce more
smoke and smell very funny when compared to gasoline
engines.
6. They are harder to start in cold weather
and if they contain glow plugs, the diesel engines
may require you to wait before you start the
engine so that the glow plugs can heat up.
7. Diesel engines are much noisier than
gas engines and tend to vibrate quite a bit.
8. Diesel fuel is less available than gas.

Although one or two of these disadvantages would be
acceptable, a group of them is a big turn away for
many people.

Even though the list above are reasons in the past
as to why diesel never really took off, you can
expect these reasons to get corrected and improved
in the future, meaning that you will see more and
more diesel vehicles on the road.

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Diesel Vehicles

As you probably already know, diesel engines get
better fuel economy than gas, simply because they
don't need to burn as much fuel as gasoline engines
to get the same amount of power. Diesel engines
are built heavier than gas engines, to help sustain
the added stress of the much higher compression
ratios.

Diesel engines don't have an ignition system either,
so you'll never have to tune them up. The exhaust
systems will last longer as well, as the exhaust
on a diesel isn't as corrosive as an exhaust on a
gasoline engine.

With diesel engines, it isn't unusual to see them
with 400,000 or even 500,000 miles. There are some
out there that have even went beyond 600,000 miles!

When it comes to maintenance, 3,000 mile oil changes
are a must. Diesel fuel isn't as refined as gas,
so the oil will get dirtier faster. You should
also replace the air and fuel filters at least
once a year.

If you live in a colder climate, you'll need to
switch to a winter blend of fuel to prevent fuel
gelling. There are several additives that you can
put in the fuel as well, to help prevent your fuel
from getting gel.

It's also recommended that you replace the glow
plugs every two years. If the temperature drops
below 10 degrees, a block heater is something you
should have. This will ensure starting in cold
weather, especially with the heavy grade of oil
that a diesel engine requires.

If you take care of your diesel vehicle, you can
count on it to be around for years to come. Unlike
gas vehicles, diesel engines are built for the
long haul, and will last you for miles and miles
if you take care of them.

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Hydrogen Boosted Gas Engines

With the ever increasing cost of gasoline prices,
auto makers are having to work overtime to cost
effictively improve the fuel economy, while still
meeting the strict emission requirements of today
with gasoline engines.

One ideal and promising way to boost the fuel
economy of gas engines is to add hydrogen to the
fuel/air mixture in the engine. Since hydrogen
isn't available at the local gas station, selling
a hydrogen boosted gas engine wasn't on the list
of engines - until now.

Lack of emission
A major cost and environmental advantage to hydrogen
boosted gas engines are low amounts of NOx emission
gas, which will completely eliminate the need for
external NOx emissions control. Currently, NOx
emissions control is a major cost problem for diesel
engines which use expensive traps to meet the
emission standards. Diesel engines particulate
emissions that must be collected by a filter that
should be changed periodically.

Hydrogen boosted engines on the other hand require
neither NOx or particulate control and require only
a low cost oxidation catalyst to control very small
amounts of exhaust which is formed mostly during
the engine starting up and warming up. Additional
cuts in emissions control requirements stem from
the engine's ability to use only the clean hydrogen
enriched charge during the cold start phase when
90% of emissions are generated in the emission test.

Cost
The hydrogen boost system is effectively a bolt
on technology that can be added to an existing
vehicle's engine compartment. According to those
developing the system, the cost of the system is
less than half of the added cost for diesel.

The future
Prototype hydrogen boosted engines are now be
installed in test SUV vehicles that have
sufficient space for the reformer and it's related
system. The start of long term road testing
for performance, reliability, and durability
information is planned for later on in the year
before the system goes further into development.

Four cylinder gasoline engines will likely be the
prime candidates for the technology as high gas
prices continue to generate competition among the
higher fuel economy models that seek MPG
leadership.

With gas prices getting higher and higher, hydrogen
boosted gas engines offer you the chance to get
more miles per gallon and not have to worry about
burning up all of your fuel. Instead of having to
go out and buy a diesel to conserve fuel, hydrogen
boosted units will help you preserve gas.

Even though they aren't available to buy right now,
they will be very soon. Many manufacturers are
looking into them, as they offer gasoline engines
something like never before. If you own a gas
powered vehicle and have thought of giving it up
to go diesel, you might want to think again - as
hydrogen boost units may change the world of gas
engines forever.

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Most Fuel Efficient Vehicles

Most efficient overall - Honda Insight hybrid
With 60 mpg city and 66 mpg highway, the Honda hybrid
has top honors as most fuel efficient in the United
States. With a 1.0 gas engine mated to an electric
motor, the insight was designed to make the most
of the power by using low resistance tires. The
bad things about the Insight include a cramped
interior, seating for two, and a very odd styling.

Fuel efficient mid size car - Toyota Prius hybrid
(60 mpg city and 51 mpg highway)
The Prius, unlike the Honda Insight, is capable of
carrying 5 people plus their gear. The Prius will
generate a total of 110 HP from its gasoline engine
and electric motor. The sleek shape to the Prius
has a low co-efficient drag although Toyota has
managed to do this with a larger, yet more driver
friendly vehicle than the Insight of Toyota.

Most efficient compact car - Honda Civic hybrid
(49 mpg city and 51 mpg highway)
With a reputation of being the cheapest hybrid in
North America, the Civic hybrid takes the great
design of the regular Civic and makes it a lot more
efficient. With an output of 110 HP, the Civic
hybrid is very competitive for the class.

Most efficient sub compact car - Volkswagon diesel
(37 mpg city and 44 mpg highway)
The Volkswagon Beetle diesel is ahead of even the
sub compact hybrids. Making 100 HP, the Beetle
diesel may not sound that powerful, although the
177 lb-foot of torque will put shame on every
other vehicle in the same class.

Most efficient station wagon - Pontiac and Toyota
(30 mpg city and 36 mpg highway)
The Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix are both the
result of a joint venture of Toyota and General
Motors. Both vehicles come equipped with Toyota
engines, although a lot of the design and
engineering came from General Motors. Both the
Matrix and the Vibe are versatile with active
lifestyles. With a fuel efficient 1.8L 4 cylinder
that produces 126 HP, the Matrix and the Vibe
aren't going to win a street race although they
make up for it with smoothness, efficiency, and
refinement.

Most efficient large car - Hyundai Sonata
(24 mpg city and 34 mpg highway)
The Sonata is a major surprise, beating out very
stiff competition. The 2.4L 4 cylinder engine is
very smooth, responsive, and powerful. The
suspension however, is soft, and geared more
towards comfort than handling. This isn't a BMW,
although the build quality is great, clearly
demonstrating that Hyundai is no longer a second
rate manufacturer.

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Why You Should Choose Diesel

The major distinction between diesel and gas lies in
the type of ignition. While gas engines operate on
spark ignition, diesel engines employ compression
ignition for igniting the fuel. With compression, the
air is drawn into the engine and subjected to high
compression that heats it up. The result is a very
high temperature in the engine, much high than that
of gas engines.

In diesel engines, air and fuel are both infused into
the engine at different stages, as opposed to gas
where a mixture of air and gas are introduced. The
fuel is injected into the diesel using an injector
where in a gas engine, a carburetor is used for this
very purpose.

With gas engines, fuel and air are sent into the
engine at the same time, then compressed. The air
and fuel mixture will limit fuel compression, and
thereby hence the overall efficiency. Diesel engines
only compress air, and the resulting ratio can be
much higher.

Advantages
Diesel engines are much more efficient and
preferable as compared to gas engines due to the
following reasons:
1. Diesel engines have overcome the several
disadvantages of earlier models that featured higher
noise and maintenance costs. Now, they are quiet
and require less regular maintenance when compared
with gas engines of a similar size.
2. Diesel engines are more rugged and reliable.
3. There is no sparking at all as the fuel
ignites. The absence of spark plubs or spark
wires also helps to lower maintenance cost.
4. The fuel cost produced is 30 - 50 percent
lower than gas engine fuel prices.
5. Gas burns hotter than diesel, and
therefore they have a shorter life span when they
are compared with diesel engines.

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Today, those across the ocean are enjoying the fruits of diesel technology revolution.

Diesel Engines And Well Known Gas

Diesel Vehicles

Hydrogen Boosted Gas Engines

Most Fuel Efficient Vehicles

Why You Should Choose Diesel

Today, those across the ocean are enjoying the
fruits of diesel technology revolution.