History of the diesel engine

Abstract

As early as 1863, the Frenchman Etienne Lenoir had test-driven a vehicle which was powered by a gas engine which he had developed. However, this drive plant proved to be unsuitable for installing in and driving vehicles. It was not until Nikolaus August Otto’s four-stroke engine with magneto ignition that operation with liquid fuel and thereby mobile application were made possible. But the efficiency of these engines was low. Rudolf Diesel’s achievement was to theoretically develop an engine with comparatively much higher efficiency and to pursue his idea through to readiness for series production.