Gasoline-Diesel Cocktail

I am going to point towards something interesting I recently noticed as I surfed the web.

It seems that lower emissions from diesel engines do not always have to come at the expense of reduced fuel mileage.

I wish to point out how attempts up to now to meet improved emission standards for diesel engines have resulted in greatly reduced fuel economy by these engines. They might emit reduced nitrous oxides and particulates, but they consume greater amounts of fuel and add to increased greenhouse gas emissions.

But (here) the ScienceDaily web site reports that University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have come up with an alternative. Blending gasoline and diesel fuel in diesel cycle engines results in lower emissions and an increase of 20% in fuel economy. Quoting from the article:

These dramatic results came from a novel technique Reitz describes as "fast-response fuel blending," in which an engine's fuel injection is programmed to produce the optimal gasoline-diesel mix based on real-time operating conditions.

(Please note that Rolf Reitz heads a University of Wisconsin-Madison engine research group.)

Now hopefully we truck drivers can get the diesel engine manufacturers to apply some of this new technology so we can get better, not worse, fuel economy out of the new engines we have to put in our new trucks.