With the constant soaring of gas prices, many people with cars running on unleaded fuel have looked for alternatives to lowering their gas costs. One of the best and oldest alternatives is the use of cars with diesel engines. With diesel engines, drivers are able to save on gas because of the lower costs of diesel fuel.

How did the diesel engine come to be? The diesel engine was invented by Rudolf Diesel, who was born in Paris to Bavarian immigrants. He graduated from Munich Polytechnic and worked as an engineer. On February 27, 1892, he filed for a patent that covered the design of the internal combustion engine he discovered. The patent was granted within a year. In 1898, his patent in the United States was also granted.

Since Diesel's invention, various improvements have been made in the technology of diesel engines. In the 1920s, Robert Bosch came up with an innovative design for an injection pump. The high demand for his invention prompted Bosch to seal deals with various companies in different countries all around the world to manufacture his injection pumps.

Demand for diesel engines continued to rise because of the increased efficiency they had compared to other engines of that time. The technology was also developed further and put into more applications. On January 6, 1930, the first road trip using a car running on a diesel engine was completed. This trip spanned almost 1300 km, which showed everyone the efficiency and limitless applications of diesel engines. Diesel also found its way into the world of car racing. In 1931, the Cummins Diesel Special, a car running on a diesel engine, completed the Indy 500 without ever needing a pit stop. That was the first time in history that had happened.

Today, diesel engines drive the production processes in many industries. They can be found everywhere, in ships, cars, trains, and other machines. Diesel is also cheaper than unleaded fuel, which is why these days, with the rapidly increasing fuel prices, more and more people are turning to diesel engines.