Diesel engines have been integral and widely produced machines for more than 100 years. The emergence of the automobile at the turn of the 20th century is due to many different inventors and innovators. Perhaps the most important contributor is Rudolph Diesel (1858-1913,) the creator if the diesel engine.

Diesel first became Diesel Engine overhauling interested in engines as a young man. By the l890’s he was working on ideas for a new type of engine that would work faster and more efficiently than the steam and coal engines of the time. The goal was to develop an engine that could compress air faster and thus, move a vehicle more quickly. After mixed success, the diesel model was patented and implemented in the success of the first cars and trucks.

These types of engines are set into motion when fuel is injected into air that is already being compressed. First, air is taken into the engine. Then that air is compressed from within the engine by a “piston.” Next, the piston returns to its position at the top of the engine as fuel is injected into the machine, which causes combustion. This force moves the piston back down. As the engine fills with exhaust, the piston moves again to push out the exhaust. This process is repeated rapidly, and the engine can run on its own until interrupted (by a lack of fuel, lack of air, or a ceasing of piston motion.)

The gasoline engine, which was developed after Diesel’s death, is very similar to the diesel engine, with only the order of the process changed.

Without these engines, there would be no automobile revolution in the 20th century. They would have come along eventually, but the development and timeline of evolution of cars would be drastically different.

Some contemporary observers wonder if society is seeing the phasing out of diesel engines. With the emergence of hybrid vehicles and the possibility of cars that run on renewable energy and electricity, diesel engines will eventually be joined by newer engine models for everyday use.

These diesel models are still vital machines and are always in demand, despite the changing scope of automotive design. People who own a diesel engine can sell, trade or buy engines and other car parts, even online. For some cars in need of repair, a diesel engine is the missing component. A new or upgraded diesel engine can also affect the way that a car runs.