Why Diesel?

Have you ever driven behind an old diesel car or truck and seen clouds of black smoke billowing up from the dingy looking tail pipe? That’s the point when you roll up the windows and turn on the air. Europe is filled with that smell everywhere you go, there is no place to get away from it. You just have to adjust. I have distinct memories of walking down the streets in Madrid, my nostrils taking in diesel, second hand cigarette smoke, and good Spanish cooking. The smell is tied to wonderful memories, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy inhaling diesel fumes.

Burning diesel does emit particulates and nitrogen oxides that forms a nasty black smog, as you would know if you have ever driven behind one of these old beaters, you get a lung full of it. However, today’s diesel contains significantly less sulfur than in past years, thus resulting in less harmful soot being released into the air. Also, newer diesel cars come equipped with brilliantly designed emissions-control systems that treat diesel exhaust with a urea-based solution, reducing its toxicity. They’re not nearly as smoky and smelly as the older diesels. In fact, they aren’t at all.

Gasoline is not necessarily less eco-friendly than diesel, the two fuels just have different impacts on the environment. In Europe, diesel is so popular because emission regulators seem to be more concerned about reducing greenhouse-gases than air particulates. One reason it has yet to become so popular in the U.S. is because the new low-sulfur diesel we have here costs much more to make. Also, we have a higher federal per-gallon tax than Europe does. However, this does not deter some Americans from buying diesel cars. Many people are attracted to the better gas mileage you get with a diesel. Others think that diesel is better for the environment than gasoline. After purchasing an old diesel Ford F250 pick-up truck from my uncle, I’ve decided that I am more partial to gasoline engines. So the Ford remains a work truck in rural Maine. I do miss the gas mileage though! Any thoughts?

By Kai Dadian