Gasoline is the most common type of fuel used for automobiles today. This petroleum-based fuel is refined for four to six-cylinder engines, found in most of today’s common cars. Gasoline provides many advantages in running a car or other vehicle.
Advantages of Gasoline
- Quick Starting – Because it is highly-combustible, vehicles powered by gasoline usually start up more quickly than other vehicles.
- Fast Acceleration – Gasoline accelerates much better than other fuels.
- Quiet Combustion and Operation – While the exhaust does contribute to hydrocarbons in the atmosphere, it is highly-favored for its quiet combustion and operation, particularly desired in passenger vehicles.
- Powerful Energy Source – Vehicles that run on gasoline or diesel can be run 24/7, without the need for recharging, and are able to travel longer and run faster than other sources of energy.
Disadvantages of Gasoline
- Carbon Pollution – The primary problem with gasoline is the fact that the hydrocarbons contained in gasoline produce carbon dioxide. This is known to contribute to pollution and global warming.
- Price Fluctuation – Because the price of gasoline is determined by supply and demand and fluctuations in oil prices, there are frequent and sometimes wide variations in price. Waspy’s Truck Stop contacts its suppliers on a daily basis and has a large tank capacity so that we can provide the lowest possible price of gasoline.
Diesel fuel is widely used in transport tractor-trailer trucks and buses. Some advantages of diesel include:
- Less Pollution – Although diesel fuel is non-renewable, the exhaust contains less carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide, which contributes to smog and pollution in the environment.
- Higher Efficiency – Vehicles which use diesel fuel operate at 30% higher efficiency than gas-powered vehicles.
- Longer Vehicle Life – Because they operate much cleaner, diesel vehicles usually last longer than gasoline vehicles.
Off-road diesel is used to power equipment and vehicles that do not operate on U.S. highways and roads. It is used for the following purposes:
- Agriculture – Farmers use it to operate tractors, harvesters, and plows in their fields.
- Construction – Construction companies use it to operate their off-road diesel equipment such as backhoes, bulldozers, cranes, and forklifts.
- Transportation – Off-road diesel is often used in for marine vessels, some aircraft, and carnival rides.
- Residential – Sometimes off-road diesel is pumped into heating oil tanks and used to heat homes with an oil furnace.
- Less Pollution – Propane produces fewer toxic chemicals than gasoline and diesel and results in less smog and pollution.
- Cheaper than Gasoline – Usually propane in less expensive than diesel or gasoline.
Compressed Natural Gas
Either a gas or diesel engine can be converted to run on compressed natural gas, or CNG. It can be used in liquid or gas form to run a combustion engine.
- Non-Corrosive – CNG is a clear, odorless and non-corrosive gas and causes less wear on a combustion engine.
- Least Pollution – Vehicles running on a CNG system produce 80% less carbon emissions than those that burn gasoline.
- Select Availability – Places to obtain CNG are very limited in the US and are located primarily in California.
Ethanol is a bio-fuel alternative for gasoline. It is made by converting sugar cane, corn, barley, and other natural products into fuel. While some cars can run on 100% ethanol, most use an additive. Some states require the use of at least 10% ethanol in gasoline (E10) in order to cut down gasoline carbon dioxide emissions. Ethanol is available in a wide number of concentrations. The higher the concentration of ethanol in fuel, the lower the carbon emissions.
Bio-diesel is a substitute for diesel fuel, which is often made from sugar beet, rapeseed or palm oil. Here are some advantages of using bio-diesel.
- Less Pollution – Bio-diesel burns much cleaner and emits less carbon dioxide than diesel.
- Increased Recycling – Some people have made bio-diesel by recycling leftover oil from restaurant deep fryers.
One disadvantage of bio-diesel is that some scientists fear that growing crops for bio-fuels will lead to deforestation. This increases the likelihood of forests being cut down, and may compete with water and other natural resources for growing food.
Kerosene is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid that is used as fuel in older lamps and heating units. It is in the C12 to C15 range of hydrocarbons created when crude oil is refined. It is often died blue to differentiate it from water. Although it cannot be mixed with water, it can be mixed with petroleum solvents.
Waspy’s Offers a Wide Variety of Fuels
Waspy’s offers one of the widest selections of fuels in the state of Iowa. These include diesel, off-road diesel, DEF, regular and premium unleaded gasoline, E-10, E-15, E-25, and E-85 flex fuels, bio-fuel, and kerosene. In addition, we sell Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF), which is 32.5% urea and 67.5% deionized water and decomposes breaks down nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions into nitrogen and water.
For more information about Waspy’s Truck Stop and our complete line of fuels, contact us today!
This post was written by waspystruckstop