[6SJ7]

According to Rongjia Tao, Chair of Temple's Physics Department, the small device consists of an electrically charged tube that can be attached to the fuel line of a car's engine near the fuel injector.

This does not make much sense. Modern cars have one fuel injector per cylinder. Fuel is metered into the cylinder on the pistons downstroke, instantly vaporizing the fuel in the combustion chamber as it passes though the injector's atomizer nozzle.

[Red Badger]

I think it’s supposed to make smaller, and hence better more efficiently burning, droplets............

[mvpel]

The aggregation of the asphaltene (a.k.a. diesel sludge) which leads to the lowering of viscosity lasts for several hours, according to the abstract I linked above, which is plenty of time for the fuel to make it from this device attached to the common rail out to the injector.

[Nuc1]

Most gasoline engines inject fuel into the intake port with the injector usually located at the on the intake manifold at the intake manifold / cylinder head flange. That said I believe some companies have direct injection into the combustion chamber. Mazda comes to mind with its turbo intercooled fours that scat pretty good. I don't think the process is wide spread though.