Last updated on October 8th, 2023 at 03:03 am
In 1936, Mercedes-Benz and Robert Bosch collaborated to create the first diesel car, the Mercedes-Benz 260D. This groundbreaking vehicle not only marked the inception of diesel-powered automobiles but also ushered in an era of enhanced efficiency and endurance on the roads.
Diesel delivers better fuel economy than most gasoline vehicles. It provides a much better highway driving experience with 25 to 30 percent better fuel economy than petrol engines when it comes to efficiency.
Diesel engines have a compression-ignited injection system. With great mileage, diesel engines also last longer than petrol. Diesel oil prolongs the engine’s life by lubricating the parts of the engine.
What is a Diesel Car?
Diesel cars run on diesel engines. It is a cost-effective engine that can possess more torque. It is an internal combustion engine that ignites the fuel caused by the increased air temperature in the cylinder and causes mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is the also-called compression-ignition engine.
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Who invented the Diesel Engine?
Rudolf Diesel is known as the inventor of the diesel engine, and this engine is also named after him. He was born in 1858 in Paris, France.
In the 19th century, the steam engine was the primary power source for large industries, trains, and even cars. Then Rudolf Diesel came with his invented machine. He desired to use vegetable oils as biofuel in vehicles to help and support the agricultural society, independent craftsmen, and artisans so that they could compete with the large industries.
History of Diesel Engine
Diesel was a thermodynamics student when the steam engine was the predominant power source. He was looking for a source that would be more efficient and could convert the heat into energy. So he got an idea of creating an engine and developed one that later became the diesel engine. That engine would be highly efficient and convert the heat to generated power.
In 1885, he set up a shop in Paris to use his theories to develop a compression ignition engine and turn his dream of building a powerful engine true.
In the 1990s, he received several patents for his engine. Rudolf Diesel presented his first engine at the Paris, France world fair. The motor gets the Grand Prix award for this incredible invention in that event.
He applied for a patent and presented this in Augsburg, Germany, in 1892, and he built the prototype of the first diesel engine in 1893. Rudolf Diesel used peanut oil as fuel. So the first diesel car used biofuel to run, and the first diesel car was the first biofuel car. But the first engine test was unsuccessful.
After the engine test failure, diesel takes different steps and makes a series of improvements in the previous design and test to lead it to success. Finally, on February 17, 1897, Diesel demonstrated the improved design and successful results.
This time the engine was successful and had an efficiency of 26.2%. This change was a significant achievement for the diesel engine as the popular steam engine had an efficiency of about 10%. Compared to the steam engine, it was 16.2% more efficient. America granted diesel’s invention in 1898.
The first diesel engine production started in June 1898. Immediate successes of the Diesel engine happen because of its high efficiency and simplicity.
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The First Use of Diesel Engine
The first diesel engines did not go into cars, trucks, or even locomotives. Diesel engines were first used in the shipping industry. In 1898, Rudolf Diesel licensed his engine to the BraNobel Russian oil company for using it in a ship.
It was used to propel the oil tanker and was launched in 1903. In 1904 diesel engines were used in submarines by the French. Till 1912 diesel engines were only used in factories and the shipping industry.
In 1912 the Danish introduced the first train with a diesel engine. Mercedes-Benz built the first land vehicle, a tractor, in 1922.
First Diesel Truck
In 1923, Daimler, Benz, and MAN showed three diesel engine trucks. Benz had demonstrated a pre-chamber four-cylinder diesel engine at Mannheim in a 5-ton truck that could produce 45 bhp and 1,000 rpm. The second one was MAN’s direct-injection engine, and the last one was Daimler-Benz’s air-injection diesel engine.
In 1925, Alfred Büchi combined his turbocharging technology with a diesel engine and made a massive improvement in the diesel engine. He was a Swiss engineer and inventor. This improvement increases the diesel engine’s efficiency by more than 40%.
In 1927, German inventor and industrialist Robert Bosch introduced an improved fuel injection pump. That helps to increase the fuel economy and efficiency of the engines by increasing the pump surface area. This improvement allowed the invention of the first diesel-powered passenger vehicle.
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History of the First Diesel Car
In 1931 the Cummins Diesel Special, a race car, was driven at Daytona and Indianapolis but failed to make a pit stop. In 1933 diesel engines were installed in an older Bentley. After that, in 1934, the Diesel Cummins Indy Car made another appearance.
The production of diesel cars started in 1933. The Citroen Company made the first diesel engine featured car in the Familiale model. Because there were legal restrictions on the diesel engine, it could not go into production until 1935. Later, Mercedes-Benz and Hanomag introduced their diesel-powered car in 1936.
Mercedes-Benz Diesel Car
Mercedes-Benz launched the first successful diesel-powered car in 1936. In February 1936, about 50 years after the invention of the petrol-powered automobile.
After successfully launching the diesel truck, Mercedes-Benz experimented with various diesel engines for passenger vehicles. In 1934 the engineers opted for a well-proven modified version diesel engine with a six-cylinder. Mercedes-Benz 260 D was the world’s first produced diesel passenger car. The production of the 260 D started in 1935, and finally, Mercedes-Benz showed their car at the International Motorcycle and Automobile Exhibition, which was held in Berlin in 1936.
This car was built with a Benz pre-chamber system and Bosch injection pump and installed in the chassis of the petrol-powered Mercedes-Benz 200. But it could not become as popular in the auto industry as the petrol-powered car. Because of the size and heavyweight of the diesel engine, it remained in trucks and larger vehicles. After that, this model was upgraded in 1937.
Advantages of Diesel Engine
Diesel engines were the most fuel-efficient, which meant that running costs were less than those for petrol over time. It also has added the ability to develop peak power at a very low rpm and a low pollution factor. After the breakthrough in engine technology in the European market, diesel passenger cars’ acceptance in the 1990s increased day by day.
Disadvantages of Diesel Engine
Though the diesel engine was fuel-efficient and powerful, it did not make progress. The reason that the diesel engine could never dominate the passenger car market was the smell of the fuel. Another reason was diesel knocks when idling. The construction cost of a diesel engine was alsothan a petrol-fueled engine.
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