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.

Those already packed with a diesel engine can thank Rudolf Diesel and his Bavarian parents. The inventor of the diesel engine graduated from Munich Polytechnic and started out as an engineer. On February 27, 1892, he filed for a patent for his internal combustion engine. Germany approved his patent within a year, and the United States did the same for him in 1898.

In the 1920s, an innovative design for an injection pump for diesel engines was invented by Robert Bosch. The high demand for this invention prompted Bosch to set up agreements with various companies in different countries all over the world to produce his injection pumps.

Demand for diesel engines continued to increase during that time. The technology was developed further and was used extensively in other fields. In 1930, one car traveled 1,300 km to complete the first road trip that used a diesel engine. The event showed everyone how efficient the diesel engine was. The following year, diesel engine penetrated the car racing industry. The engine-powered car, Cummins Diesel Special, finished the Indy 500 without ever dropping by its pit stop, the first such instance in racing history.

Diesel engines are still as important today as they were a century ago. These machines are heavily depended on by many types of vehicles, such as trains, automobiles and ships, just to name a few. Perhaps, more importantly, diesel is also much cheaper than unleaded fuel. As fuel prices continue to increase, expect diesel engines to continue gaining relevance despite being over a hundred years old already.