Modern diesel engine with VNT turbo charger

Other than Otto’s four-stroke engine, the diesel engine, developed by Rudolf Diesel in 1892, is the most important type of engine used to power all kinds of vehicles nowadays. Thanks to their superior efficiency, high torque and low revs, diesel engines have long become established for all types of vehicles. Ongoing development has also made them both quiet and clean. Diesel engines are characterised by their direct injection and unaided ignition. The power of such engines is not regulated by the volume of air but by the injected fuel. This is sometimes called quality management. A diesel motor usually operates with a lean fuel mixture. Developments over recent years have meant that normally aspirated diesel engines are largely obsolete. Modern engines are usually supercharged by means of an exhaust gas turbocharger in order to achieve optimum fuel supply.