Are gas engines ever going to catch up?
Our creaky old Cummins powered truck (bought used) seats 4, does about 20-23mpg bobtail and 12mpg towing a 5th wheel trailer at 22,999lbs. It's mileage is somewhere in between hauling a camper and/or...
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Why it would be virtually impossible to have a gasoline engine at 16*1 compression ratio unless some new breakthru process is discovered in the future. Gasoline has a very low flash point and very subject to pre-ignition referred to as "engine knocking". Here is the explanation per engineering manuals from what is known today:
Gasoline (petrol) is a fuel for use in a spark-ignition engine. The fuel is mixed with air within its flammable limits and heated above its flash point, then ignited by the spark plug. In order to avoid preignition by the residual heat of a hot combustion chamber, the fuel must have a low flash point and a high autoignition temperature.
Diesel fuel flash points vary between 52 and 96 °C (126 and 205 °F). Diesel is suitable for use in a compression-ignition engine. Air is compressed until it has been heated above the autoignition temperature of the fuel, which is then injected as a high-pressure spray, keeping the fuel-air mix within flammable limits. In a diesel-fueled engine, there is no ignition source (such as the spark plugs in a gasoline engine). Consequently, diesel fuel must have a high flash point and a low autoignition temperature.
Flash points:
Gasoline (petrol)
-43 °C (-45 °F)
Diesel (2-D) (#2)
>52 °C (126 °F)
Gasoline (petrol) is a fuel for use in a spark-ignition engine. The fuel is mixed with air within its flammable limits and heated above its flash point, then ignited by the spark plug. In order to avoid preignition by the residual heat of a hot combustion chamber, the fuel must have a low flash point and a high autoignition temperature.
Diesel fuel flash points vary between 52 and 96 °C (126 and 205 °F). Diesel is suitable for use in a compression-ignition engine. Air is compressed until it has been heated above the autoignition temperature of the fuel, which is then injected as a high-pressure spray, keeping the fuel-air mix within flammable limits. In a diesel-fueled engine, there is no ignition source (such as the spark plugs in a gasoline engine). Consequently, diesel fuel must have a high flash point and a low autoignition temperature.
Flash points:
Gasoline (petrol)
-43 °C (-45 °F)
Diesel (2-D) (#2)
>52 °C (126 °F)
