Why Diesels Are More Popular In Europe Than The U.S

Petroleum. Ethanol. Methanol. Unleaded. Diesel.  What immediately comes to mind when you see, hear, or read those words?—Fuel, gasoline, fuel economy, mpg, right?  At least it should.  Depending on where you live in the world, federal and local governments have different regulations, guidelines, and standards regarding automotive fuels, the allowed emissions they may or may not emit, and different reasons for their primary choice or source of automotive fuel.  It’s because of this that a majority of European provinces and vehicles primarily operate on Diesel fuel, while the United States primarily uses Gasoline.  You’re probably asking yourself one, simple question—“Why?”  Well, let’s examine this more closely.

Diesel  Fuel

The biggest difference between diesel fuel and gasoline is how fuel ignition is achieved.  Gasoline engines and fuel rely on “spark” for ignition, whereas diesel engines and fuel rely on “compression”.  Also, the air/fuel mixture which is infused simultaneously in gasoline engines, are triggered at separate stages within diesel engines.  Diesel engines compresses air at a significantly higher compression level, and therefore are heated at higher temperatures than a gasoline engine.  Once maximum pressure and temperature has been achieved, the diesel is ignited.  Because the air/fuel infusion occurs at separate intervals; diesel engines maintain higher air compression ratios which ultimately results in better fuel efficiency.  Since diesel engines do not require spark, sparkplugs, or sparkplug wires; maintenance costs are less expensive and service intervals are spread farther apart.  Diesel engines are also quieter and more durable than gasoline engines, get better gas-mileage, cost 30% to 50% less to supply, and typically have longer lifespans. When you are purchasing a higher mileage used vehicle, remember that the diesel engine will run for many hundreds of thousands of miles with good maintenance!

Diesels  In  Europe

There are a number of factors that goes into explaining how and why diesels are more popular in Europe than the U.S.  For one, diesel is more “cost-efficient” for Europeans due to the fact they have a smaller “auto-market” and therefore tend to own their cars twice as long as the average American car owner.   European diesel tax is significantly lower than that of the United States.  Perhaps this is because diesel is more fuel-efficient, cost less, and Europe has less than half the automobiles on their roads than the U.S. has on its.  According to Scientific American and the American Petroleum Institute (API), diesel is taxed about 25% higher in the U.S. because 95% of American cars are gasoline powered, but not surprisingly in Europe, these statistics are reversed. 

Diesels  In  The  U.S.

As we have mentioned and shown, diesels are definitely less common in the United States, despite the benefits and advantages they hold over gasoline.  Diesel is also less-favorable in the U.S. because of the strict regulations of the federal government regarding vehicle emissions, air pollution, and overcrowded highways.  Another reason diesel left a horrible first impression with the United States. is because of poor engineering which led to decreased power and performance.  Of course today’s diesels are much more efficient, but still not the “choice” vehicle or fuel-type of the United States.  The API has recorded the average price per gallon for diesel is 24.4 cents, while gasoline is at 18.4 cents.  As a used car buyer in the United States, diesel powered cars are typically three to four thousand dollars more expensive than gasoline vehicles, gas prices are higher, and there are fewer diesel pumps at local gas stations.

Final  Results

After reading the article, it’s fairly easy to see why diesel has a more popular stake in Europe than it does in the United States—it’s just flat out better than gasoline.  But let’s just do a quick “recap” to better put it perspective.  Diesel fuel lasts longer than gasoline, cost less in Europe, requires less maintenance than gasoline vehicles, and has about the same emissions.  Diesel vehicles have better gas-mileage, are more cost-efficient for Europeans, who own their cars much longer than Americans, and new technology such as the study of bio-diesels are placing new advancements on the horizon.  When you take that into consideration, you have to ask yourself—why isn’t the U.S. putting a better and more concentrated focus on diesels?