Diesel engines started with Nikolaus August Otto’s invention of gasoline engines in 1876. This gasoline engine applied the four-stroke engine combustion principle—also referred to as the Otto Cycle—and remains the basic principle followed by modern cars. The gasoline engine was not initially efficient until Rudolf Diesel discovered how to address this problem in 1878. He invented the diesel engine, an engine with higher efficiency, in 1893. He realized that for the engine to have higher efficiency, there has to be a higher compression in which the piston adds pressure on the air, which becomes concentrated. Both diesel and gasoline engines operate the same way, for they are both internal combustion engines that convert fuel into energy through a series of combustions or small explosions. It is in the combustion where the difference between these engines lies. In a gasoline engine, the fuel-air mixture is compressed by pistons and ignited by sparks from spark plugs while in a diesel engine, air is compressed first before the fuel is injected and ignited when air heats up during compression.
When choosing Indianapolis cars, it is best to choose the one using diesel engine, not only because it is fuel-efficient, but also because it needs less maintenance. Unlike in gasoline engines where you might have to replace defective or worn-out spark plugs to prevent a breakdown, a diesel engine does not need them at all, since it applies compression for igniting the fuel. Aside from Indianapolis cars, most heavy vehicles use diesel engines, because they cover long distances and consume less energy compared with gasoline engines. You probably might have the common misconception that diesel engines are suitable for trucks, buses, ships, and trains only, but buying a car with diesel engine is far more practical than you think it is. Now that you know how it converts fuel into energy, you are aware that it is fuel-efficient compared with gas. Diesel engines are not only used in Indianapolis cars, but they are also applied in a number of ways. They are used as power generators in homes, industrial plants, hospitals, and commercial buildings. They are also used in operating construction equipment like concrete pavers, scrapers, rollers, trenchers, and excavators. Tractors, irrigation pumps and threshing machines even use diesel engines in the realm of agriculture.