Post #2328738

This post is about https://douglasbrunt-author.com/mysterious-case-of-rudolf-diesel. You should read it. Rudolf Diesel thought that his engine would bring power to the masses. And his engine had clear advantages over the competing technologies which were coal and gasoline. Diesel engines burn fuel with less exhaust than coal without the flammability of gasoline. And they don't need those fiddly spark plugs. And yet Rudolf Diesel almost completely failed to commercialize the technology. Sure there are diesel engines in use today. But think it would be hard to predict the shape of the adoption curve of gasoline and diesel based on seeing the early engines at trade shows. Or even the first models for sale on the market.