When we think of the difference between gasoline and diesel engines, we mostly assume that gasoline is used for everyday, regular automobiles while diesel is the standard for large trucks. Gasoline was the standard for commercial cars since the late 19th century when Karl Benz developed a lightweight internal combustion engine that ran on gasoline. Around the same time, Rudolf Diesel developed the Diesel engine that came to be common for trucks.
Today, these generalizations of gas for cars and diesel for trucks are not the actual case. Many trucks now run on gasoline or petrol as opposed to diesel. Diesel still has some advantages to gasoline, for example:
- Better fuel economy
- Less electrical systems susceptible to damage
- Longer engine life expectancy
- Diesel is cheaper to make
- Diesel is less volatile and explosive
- Less noxious gas emissions
- The possibility of developing new forms of bio-diesel
These factors alone have been enough to keep diesel as the predominant form of engine in trucking for a long time. So, considering the advantages of diesel, what are some of the reasons that more and more truck engines are turning to gasoline? Certainly, diesel engine technology is always improving regarding the below arguments, but so are regular gasoline engines and their capacity to serve the trucking industry. An auto mechanic course is a great way to understand the changing technologies of both engines.
Here are some recent reasons why gasoline is becoming more common for trucks:
Cost
Diesel engines and diesel engine parts are more costly to manufacture, repair and replace that their gasoline counterparts. This is due to higher levels in cylinder pressure, which need to be stronger due to heavier wear and tear. This also results in more common damage.
Weight
Gasoline engines are much lighter than diesel engines. Although diesel is more fuel-efficient in itself, a weightier truck can result in less fuel-economy over long- hauls.
Emissions
Although the exhaust from diesel is considered safer, gasoline engines emit far less fumes that effect our direct senses. Gasoline has a weaker odour, and creates less black smoke and soot.
Fuel Availability
As of now, it is far more common to find regular stations that only have gasoline as opposed to ones carrying both gasoline and diesel, and there are few diesel only stations. For a trucker on a schedule, it is a great advantage to be able to fill up wherever it is needed and not have to go out of the way to find diesel stations.
Weather
Gasoline engines hold up better in extreme weather conditions, especially cold weather. This is because gasoline engines utilize spark plugs to ignite whereas diesel engines rely on the fuel being ignited solely by the pressure of the cylinder.
While both engines are over one hundred years old, the competition to dominate the trucker's engine is much more of a recent phenomenon. Anyone considering an auto mechanic career should be ready to know the history of these differences just as they should be prepared for any changes to come in the future.
