Additional Resources Save and Share Related Links View the latest Gasoline and Diesel Update from the EIA Where Is Diesel In Your Area? Looking for diesel fuel in your area? Visit the Find Diesel Fuel page for complete details on where to locate diesel pumps near you. Plus, find out more about the increasing availability of diesel fuel nationwide (including ultra-low sulfur diesel) and use a fuel locator to find it. Recent News Automakers Predict Sales of Diesels Will Gain in U.S. Clean at Last; Diesel Makes a Green Comeback Clean, Diesel in One Breath Cleaner Diesel at Pumps Today No Fuming Over Fuel Change in California

 

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Because diesel engines are the most efficient internal combustion engine in the world, they provide power for an incredibly wide range of applications. A vehicle powered by a diesel engine can do more useful work per unit of energy consumed than vehicles that are powered by gasoline or alternative fuels such as natural gas.

Look around. Chances are you will see diesel technology at work every day across many sectors of the American landscape.

Delivering For America

Our nation’s goods would not move without diesel engines. Diesel moves approximately 90 percent of the nation’s freight tonnage, and today nearly all highway freight trucks, locomotives and commercial marine vessels are powered by diesel engines.

Whether it’s a delivery truck bringing you a package, a freight truck rolling down the highway, or a train carrying coal, merchandise and automobiles, you can bet there’s a diesel engine working hard behind the scenes.

Public Transportation

Diesel plays a major role in transporting people. Most U.S. public and city transit buses are powered by diesel engines, and diesel hybrid-electric engines  are becoming increasingly popular as transit systems strive for increased fuel efficiency and cleaner engines.  

In addition, most of the famous yellow school buses that transport America’s children to school everyday are fueled by diesel.  

Farming, Construction and Mining

Diesel power provides approximately two-thirds of the energy used to run the machinery on America’s farms. Diesel also operates most of the heavy equipment used in construction, including building and repairing our homes, our offices, and America’s roads and infrastructure. You’ll also find that diesel technology is the primary engine technology used in the mining industry today.

Emergency Response and National Defense

When the power goes out, critical elements of our nation’s infrastructure like hospitals, airports, communications and water treatment systems rely on diesel-powered emergency back-up generators to keep things running. No other energy source can provide full-strength back-up power within 10 seconds of a failure from the primary electricity grid.  

In the face of disaster, fire trucks, ambulances and other rescue equipment all rely on diesel. Plus, diesel is the technology powering the machinery and military vehicles protecting national homeland security and defense.

Cars, Trucks and SUVs

In this era of high gas prices, more and more American consumers are saving money at the pump by driving diesel cars, pickups and SUVs, thanks to their superior fuel efficiency over gasoline-powered cars. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a 30 percent market penetration of light-duty diesel vehicles by 2020 would reduce U.S. net crude oil imports by 350,000 barrels per day, reducing this country’s dependence on foreign oil. Not to mention that newer diesels are clean, quiet and fun to drive.