Our Diesel Future

Presented by Steve and Kristyne McDaniel

One of the best automobile engines from the future is in fact an engine from the past -- named for its inventor Rudolf Diesel in 1892.

Unlike the typical gasoline-powered internal combustion engines in common use today, the diesel engine is a compression ignition engine. Fuel ignites as it is injected into a combustion chamber filled with compressed air heated to a temperature that is high enough to cause ignition.

Diesel engines look great for the future because of their high energy efficiency, and their ability to run on a variety of fuels. In fact, Diesel originally intended the engine to be capable of using a variety of fuels including peanut oil and coal dust. The original demonstration at the 1900 World's Fair used the peanut oil, which today we would call biodiesel.

<<>>