Could Diesel Be the Future Fuel of Choice?

March 26th, 2013 by Fiedler Group

A new report from ExxonMobil suggests diesel may surpass gasoline as the fuel of choice by the year 2020.

The report — Outlook for Energy: A View to 2040 — was developed to assess future trends in energy supply, demand and technology to help guide long-term investments.

The report reveals several key findings about how energy is used, how much of it will be required in the future, and what fuel types will meet demand.

It predicts that diesel will surpass gasoline as the number one fuel by the year 2020 due to 1) increased demand for diesel-powered passenger vehicles and 2) increased demand for diesel-powered heavy-duty vehicles.

Though widely accepted in Europe and other parts of the world, the United States’ consumer is still reluctant to consider diesel-powered passenger vehicles.

While gasoline-powered vehicles is expected to remain constant through 2040, as much as 70 percent of the growth in fuel demand is made up by diesel due to its relatively small current proportion.

And though not as statistically-significant, 10 percent of new car sales are expected to be plug-in hybrids and full EVs. In fact, by 2040, hybrids will make up more than 50 percent of new car sales.

Click here to download the full report — Outlook for Energy: A View to 2040 — and read more about these trends.