Biodiesel Cars

We all know how diesel prices have been skyrocketing these days, and this is precisely the reason why many people are searching for alternatives to diesel fuel.

Much research has been invested into the study of alternative diesel sources, and the best ever method that has been developed is actually biodiesel. The great thing about biodiesel is that any vehicle that is powered by diesel can also use biodiesel. The underlying principle to remember here is that both diesel and biodiesel cars operate on basically the same mechanism. Thus, you can safely say that any biodiesel car can pretty much run and work like any other car in the market.

The science behind biodiesel cars involves hydrocarbons as sources of fuel. The same underlying principle is indeed there; however, the combustion process entailed here is a bit more complicated.

Using Hydrocarbons For Fuel

When you use hydrocarbons for fuel, you actually depend on the process of combustion at different temperatures. Gasoline is quite popular here because it is readily flammable even when the temperature is very low. The only thing that is needed to set it off is a mere spark. In vehicles powered by gasoline, vapor is actually mixed with oxygen or air and is then injected right into the combustion chamber. This is then where a spark is created to ignite the mixture. Your car engine would then be prodded to come to life and you are then ready to drive.

Diesel Engines

With a diesel engine, what happens here is that combustion would rely on the heat of compression. Glow plugs are used in the place of spark plugs when heating vapor. And during the heating process, compression occurs as well. With both at play, there is then enough heat produced to cause combustion. The result would be your crankshaft coming to life and you are then ready to roll. The major drawback here, as expected, is the use of diesel. Diesel is actually recognized as one of the less refined fuels. Because it is still petroleum-based, there are still so many noxious gases being exhausted when the diesel engine is in use.

Why Biodiesel Cars Are Better

Biodiesel works quite similarly as the processes discussed above. The only difference is that you do not have to deal with any sort of drawbacks here. Biodiesel actually comes from natural sources, such as vegetable oil, so noxious emissions will no longer be a problem. And if your car is already powered by diesel fuel, you can actually convert to biodiesel without having to go through major alterations or modifications with your car engine! Yes, biodiesel cars are indeed easily within your reach.