New diesel engine technology could save drivers £18,000 at the petrol station

A tech firm smashed the record for diesel engine thermal efficiency, hinting at future fuel savings for both motorists and businesses. Achieving a whopping 53.09 per cent in thermal efficiency, this innovation could allow a diesel lorry with an annual mileage of 150,000 to save around 12,000 litres of fuel.

The impressive feat, which equates to a potential reduction of £18,960 a year in operational costs for companies, comes from Weichai Power, a China-based technology organisation that made headlines by setting new records for diesel engine efficiency in 2020 and twice again in 2022.

Weichai Power is now expanding its research endeavours with a large team of engineers under the guidance of a prominent department head. The company's chairman, Tan Xuguang, praised the "relentless dedication" shown by his employees, who invested over 4,000 days and nights into the project, as reported by Econostrum.

Their intense focus lay on revamping the core components of the diesel engine and meticulously refining every aspect of the combustion process.

The advancement in diesel efficiency comes as welcome news to drivers along with a fall in global fuel prices, reports the Express.

It comes as fears of a global recession stoked by escalating trade tensions have triggered a sharp drop in the traded cost of crude oil. Traders were speculating that an economic slowdown with dent demand, with oil prices declining to $64 a barrel in April following Donald Trump's tariff war.

Simon Williams, the RAC’s head of policy, said last month: “With oil tumbling to its lowest price for four years, drivers ought to see cuts of up to 6p a litre at the pumps ahead of the notoriously busy Easter weekend on the roads. As long as the barrel carries on trading around or below the $65 mark, retailers will be obliged to pass on the savings they’re benefitting from to their customers on the forecourt.”

He went on: “Petrol should drop from its current UK average of 136p to 130p a litre and diesel from 143p to 137p. If unleaded were to fall to that level, it would be the cheapest since summer 2021. Diesel hasn’t been that low since September that year.”