What is the difference between diesel and petrol, and why can’t cars take both?
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Petrol is the common name, in some countries, for Unleaded Gasoline.
As the name suggests, unleaded gas is gas without a certain type of lead-based additive, called Tetraethyl Lead, which boosted performance of cars at a serious detriment to the environment. Environmental lead causes very nasty things, like birth defects and high crime rates.
Unleaded gasoline requires a spark and a fuel injector, and is made from petroleum.
Diesel fuel is not necessarily made with petroleum, such as biodiesel fuel, and uses higher compression forces for its fuel injection.
The differences are numerous, but the important thing is that one engine can not use fuel designed for the other without the potential for damage.
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