6 Reasons Why We Still Need Diesel Engines In India

Cars with diesel engines are endangered. Because of environmental and exhaust emission norms, many carmakers across the globe are shutting diesel engines in their shops. In India, Maruti Suzuki, Volkswagen, Skoda, Nissan, and Renault are some of the carmakers who do that. That said, still, some companies manufacture cars with diesel engines. Namely, Hyundai, Toyota, Honda and others. Despite an adequate demand, these companies may or may not pull the plug on diesel. That said, Diesel cars are not that bad. Hence today, we look at 6 reasons why we still need cars with diesel engines.

1. Diesel engines return more mileage.
   

   

   First and foremost is the mileage. Well, this is among the primary reason customers go for diesel cars. Be out on the highway or city, cars with diesel engines always return more mileage than their petrol counterparts. For instance, Hyundai Verna is among the few sedans in India that come with a diesel mill.

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   With that, Verna also is offered with not one but two petrol engines. Considering the more efficient 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine, it delivers a claimed average of about 19.2 kmpl. That is on a good day. But the same vehicle with a diesel mill returns a mileage of 25kmpl.

2. Diesel engines are more efficient.
   

   

   Well, being more efficient and returning more mileage depend on each other but are not the same. Where mileage is kilometres driven per unit of time, efficiency is the amount of energy generated during combustion. Here it is the chemical energy converted to mechanical energy. This means diesel, a compression ignition engine, can extract more energy from the same fuel as gasoline.

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   Don’t agree? Let’s set some detailed facts. Diesel fuel has a calorific value of about 45.5 MJ/kg (megajoules per kilogram), which is slightly less than that of gasoline (45.8 MJ/kg). On the other hand, diesel fuel is denser than gasoline and contains around 15% more energy by volume (36.9 MJ/litre as opposed to 33.7 MJ/litre).

3. Diesel engines have more torque.
   

   

   Because of the way diesel engines are designed, they have way more torque than their petrol counterpart. It is easy for diesel engines to pull better in slopes than petrol engines. Hence, this is the choice of fuel in huge commercial trucks.

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   But what this means in the passenger cars? This means that passenger cars have that sudden surge of torque that sticks us to our seats under hard acceleration (In some diesel cars). This is what makes cars with diesel engines too much fun.

4. Diesel as a fuel is cheaper.
   

   

   Moreover, cars with diesel engines not only return more mileage, the diesel as a fuel is also cheaper to buy when compared to petrol. For instance, the diesel price in Gurugram (Gurgaon) is Rs. 89.96 per litre. Versus petrol which costs Rs. 97.10 per litre. This makes the running cost of the vehicle drastically low over the period.

5. Diesel cars have similar maintenance costs compared to their petrol counterparts.

    

   

   The vehicle’s make and model influence the cost of maintenance. In comparison to petrol engines, diesel engines often cost more to maintain. But the difference is not that significant. Additionally, the average service cost of both vehicles is similar. What is different are the prices of critical spare parts.

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   This includes engine and transmission components. These parts are relatively more expensive compared to engines that run on petrol. Nevertheless, this is bound to happen however diesel engines have another trick up their sleeve. 
   

6. Diesel cars are built to last.
   

   

   The diesel engine operates on the diesel cycle instead of the otto cycle. This means the combustion of the fuel takes place due to the increase in temperature resulting from compression. Hence these engines are also called compression ignition engines. Well, as the engines are compression ignition, this induces more vibrations and more forces, stresses in general. This is why diesel engines have a robust built quality and are built to last. Well, if you maintain the vehicle well, these cars will last long.

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Well, these are the 6 reasons why we still need diesel engines. Let us know in the comment section below what you think of diesel engines. Should they be put to the side, or would you like them to stay in the market?