Experts say there is a future for internal combustion engines and fuels

As the world works to decarbonize, experts claim there is a future for internal combustion engines (ICEs) and fuels. During a webinar hosted by Diesel Technology Forum (DTF), panelists discussed efforts to further improve the engines and lower their carbon footprints. 

“We are in a world of transition in terms of energy. We heavily rely on fossil fuel energy but also trying to make a move towards using more renewable energy sources. Both in the kind of energy that powers our homes and vehicles, machines, and equipment,” claimed DTF Executive Director, Allen Schaeffer. 

He notes diesel, gasoline, and natural gas are currently used in ICEs to power nearly all of our world’s vehicles as well as the global economy. Matt Leuck, Neste’s technical manager of renewable road transportation explained, “renewable diesel is a drop-in replacement for hydrocarbon diesel… it literally is diesel in a different source”. 

The remaining panelists talk about potential fuels for internal combustion engines, including some that use diesel fuel today. From crude oil, diesel fuel is a refined byproduct. The United States oil and gas industry produced slightly more than 11.1 million barrels of crude oil in 2021 and is on track to produce 11.85 million barrels per day in 2022, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The price of diesel fuel in the US is determined by four factors: the price of crude oil accounts for about 53%, distribution and marketing (17%), refining costs (16%), and taxes (14%).

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