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Both gasoline and petro-diesel were all about profit.
In the early days, a person could only get gasoline in the city. If they wanted to drive to the country, they could bring spare tanks of gasoline with them, or stop at almost any farm and get alcohol fuel, which farmers could make themselves. Alcohol was used for lighting and to fuel tractors and equipment
When asked about why Mr. Ford persisted in making cars that can run on alcohol, he said.
"There are a lot more stills in this country than gasoline stations"
I couldn't find the exact quote, but he also said something pretty close to: Why would any farmer want to BUY gasoline, when he can just make is own alcohol?
Keep in mind that the early 1900s farmer was an amazing blend of ecologist, blacksmith, chemist, manager, and other skills too numerous to count. He was one of the most amazing and independent persons of American history.
John D. Rockefeller made lots of money in kerosene. Gasoline was a toxic waste product of its production, which meant it made cheap automobile fuel, because it would otherwise have to be covertly dumped into rivers at night!
Rudolf Diesel did indeed run his engine on peanut oil, at least at the 1900 World Fair. He experimented with many fuels, including powdered coal (which he never got to work)
The main fuel he began to work with was Nut Palm Oil. Of course, planting and growing palm trees takes a while. In the mean time Rockefeller had chemists working on petroleum-based diesel fuel.
Rockefeller beat Diesel to market. So, all those palm trees instead were marketed as a high-heat cooking oil, which we have been eating ever since! One more way that cars are making us fat!
Rudolf Diesel died under mysterious circumstances in the English Channel. If it was suicide, murder, or just and accident, we will never know.
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