74.2% of new vehicles sold during 2021 were gasoline and 22.9% diesel. The difference was hybrids (3.6%) and electrics (0.3%).
The proportions remain almost the same, except for hybrids, which can be used as electric and with fuel and have subtracted from gasoline-powered vehicles, gaining more market from 2020 to 2021.
The expectation is that During this year there will be a greater sale of cars that run on diesel, the fuel that is subsidized so it is the cheapest in the Ecuadorian market. Its cost was frozen at $1.9 per gallon, while the price of extra gasoline or ecopaís is at $2.55 per gallon and that of super is around $4.
Reports from the Association of Automotive Companies of Ecuador (Aeade) indicate that most of the country’s vehicle fleet runs on gasoline, but the difference is that diesel vehicles are used mainly for cargo and passenger transport, that is, , in business and work activities.
What are the differences between a diesel-powered car and a gasoline-powered car?
In addition to the obvious fuel savings, there are other features that distinguish them.
The Ecuadorian client has the perception that the diesel ones are for work or utility issues, generally trucks, buses, vans or vans, but in reality it is not so much like that, indicates the technician Eduardo Castro, head of Product Support for the lines of light vehicles of the Mavesa group. “There are already products that are for combined use, both utility and private, that use diesel. This perception has been changing in the last seven years.”
The first noticeable difference is that the gasoline engine is much quieter than a diesel engine, which is noisier because of the revs they develop. “This depends on the brand, but most will always be above the noise of a gasoline one,” says Castro.
The diesel engine is a heavier vehicle and is designed to move cargo, while the gasoline engine with more power has more speed, says Andrés Zumárraga, technical advisor to the Aeade. “Trucks normally use diesel and passenger cars use gasoline, but this does not mean that technologies cannot be used on both sides. Smaller vehicles for private use with diesel are currently arriving, people want to take advantage of the fact that it is a less expensive refined“, it states.
The vibration is felt more and the engine is louder in a car that uses diesel compared to one with gasoline, adds Zumárraga.
Diesel-powered cars have the capacity to cover more distances with the average 12-gallon full tank than gasoline cars that have the same capacity to hold fuel, says Castro.
those who use diesel can travel an average of between 700 and 800 km with a full tank and efficient driving, while the maximum autonomy of a gasoline is up to 400 km of travel with a particular use.
This is an average between vehicles that are between 1,600 and 2,000 cubic centimeters with an average tank to hold up to twelve gallons.
The car models that consume less gasoline in Ecuador
“Efficient driving is defined in the city as a driver who is not aggressive, for example, if at 500 meters there is a red light, there is no point in flying until I get there because I am consuming more fuel, I am still going to have to stop, so that one used more fuel and brakes. On the other hand, the most cautious driver spends less, this applies to both types of vehicles in order to cover the aforementioned distances”, he assures.
On the roads where you go at a more fixed distance, you spend less when going in fifth, but in the cities you reach third or even fourth with a good acceleration. “The differences between these two scenarios mean that the engine revolutions in lower gears are higher, by having higher revolutions the engine will consume more fuel. You speed up, you slow down, you speed up, you stop, in the cities, so that process leads to more consumption,” explains Castro.
The autonomy will vary according to the brand, the cylinder capacity and the type of engine, but the distance covered will always be greater between diesel engines compared to a gasoline engine using the same amount of fuel.
Another difference between gasoline and diesel occurs when starting, but this gap has been closing with the improvement of technologies. “The speed when leaving the first will be higher compared to the seconds when the latter do not have the characteristic of being turbocharged. But most of the new diesel powered cars already come with this option, which makes the power output much higher. Even if it weren’t for the engine noise, it wouldn’t even be noticeable,” says Castro.
What is known as thrust force or torque (technical name) of a vehicle that uses diesel is greater than a gasoline one, but the disparity is noticeable at the starting point, which is when it starts from scratch and puts first, there more energy is used.
The turbocharged diesel have a very fast start that resembles that of a gasoline one.
The time it took to warm up a diesel engine in cities with low temperatures or in colder seasons before starting is now in the past, says Castro.
“Before, the vehicle’s fuel supply operation did not have a very electronic management, everything was quite simple and this required this warm-up time in the mornings with five-minute waits when turning on and off, conditions that caused inconvenience, but with the evolution most diesel brands practically equaled a gasoline injection system”, he mentions.
Rise in the price of a gallon of super gasoline reaches $ 0.60 so far in 2022
Diesel cars are a bit more expensive and maintenance is also higher than gasoline cars, says Zumárraga. “As it is a more robust engine that operates in more extreme conditions, the compression ranges are higher, they are more expensive engines, but they last longer, that is the difference with gasoline ones”, indicates the specialist.
Everything is a balance of what you want as a driver. A gasoline one will cost more to climb a hill, but it will be faster and vice versa with respect to a diesel one.
The A diesel sedan engine can last up to 600 thousand km, while a gasoline one up to 400 thousand km., both well cared for, before lowering the machine, according to Zumárraga. “If the first one is damaged, then more will be spent on components. Just replacing the turbo on a diesel will cost anywhere from $3,000 to $4,000. A repair in a gasoline one can cost $800 easy, but in a diesel one it can cost $1,800”.
The cost of parts and maintenance can be up to 5% more expensive on diesel enginessays Castro, however, there is a trade-off with components that do not require the former but do require the latter.
Cars with a gasoline engine, for example, need to change their spark plugs every 10,000 kilometers, while diesel cars have ones whose average useful life is every 80,000 or 100,000 kilometers traveled.
There is already a third wave of consumer migration from super to extra in Ecuador, after a record increase in prices
Fuel savings over the life of the car is an important factor, but it also all depends on usage. If you travel, for example, round trip, from Playas Villamil, Posorja or Salinas to Guayaquil for work almost every day of the week, a diesel engine would be convenient, but if the vehicle is used to go from home to work, on a journey of 5 km per day, a gasoline one does make more sense. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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