History1800's 1990's to Present1700s: The beginning of the automobile
The invention of automobiles did not occur over night, it actually took decades, and several inventors to build what today is known as a car. The journey of inventing cars began in 1672; the first documented inventor of cars was Ferdinand Verbiest. Verbiest invented the first self propelled vehicle that was actually powered by steam in China. In 1769, a French engineer named Nicholas Joseph Cugnot, invented the first self propelled road vehicle. Cugnot’s vehicle was used by the French Army to haul artillery. After two attempts on the two full sized working steam vehicles, the experiment came to an end because the vehicles were reported to have been unstable due to poor weight distribution.
Following Cugnot’s attempts, it was William Murdoch, who perfected Cugnot’s steam vehicle, by just changing the design and making it a three wheeled vehicle. Years after in 1801, Richard Trevithick builds the first working railway steam locomotive. Trevithick named the carriage “Puffing Devil”, however, 3 days later the carriage broke down after passing over a gully in the road. Cugnot’s vehicle was improved by Onesiphore Pecqueur, whom also invented the first differential gear. After Cugnot, several other inventors designed steam-powered road vehicles. Charles Deitz built steam driven road tractors, which pulled passenger carriages around Paris, and other cities.
1800's |
1800s Invention of More Powerful Vehicles
In 1807, the first combustion powered automobile was invented by Francois Isaac de Rivaz of Switzerland. This vehicle had an internal combustion engine that used a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen for fuel. In 1823, Samuel Brown invents a different internal combustion engine, with separate combustions, which was used to power a vehicle. However, the first successful internal combustion was designed by Jean Joseph Etienne Lenior. This combustion operated on coal gas, and was basically a two stroke engine. However, it too was very unsuccessful because the stoke did not compress the gas. Several more attempts on perfecting an engine’s combustion was later made by several other inventors such as Julius Hock in 1870 with the first combustion engine that runs on liquid gas, Nicholaus August Otto in 1877 with his four cycle engine, and George Baldwin in 1879.
Steam engine vehicles were not the only ones invented in this period. In 1838, Robert Davidson built the first electric locomotive that attained a speed of four mph. The vehicles were heavy, slow, expensive, and needed to stop for recharging frequently. Not certain the exact year, Robert Anderson of Scotland invented the first crude electric carriage, between 1832 and 1839. In 1891, William Morrison of Des Moines, Iowa builds the first successful electric automobile in the United States.
In 1863, Jean Joseph Etienne Lenior builds the first “horseless carriage” that reached the speed of 3 mph. In the United States, numerous steam coaches were built from 1860 to 1880 by inventors such as Harrison Dyer, Joseph Dixon, Rufus Porter, and William T. James. About 1870, Siegfried Samuel Marcus decides to put an internal combustion engine on a simple handcart, which made him the first man propelling a vehicle by means of gasoline. Today, this car is known as “The first Marcus Car”. In 1888-89 Märky, Bromovsky & Schulz, a company which whom Marcus co-operated with built the “Second Marcus Car,” which its design was very innovative.
In 1871, a professor of physics at Wisconsin State University named Dr. J. W. Carhart built a working steam car that won a 200-mile race. Amedee Bollee Sr. built advanced steam cars, such as the "La Mancelle" built in 1878, which had a front-mounted engine, steering wheel, and driver's seat. About 1870, Siegfried Samuel Marcus decides to put an internal combustion engine on a simple handcart, which made him the first man propelling a vehicle by means of gasoline. Today, this car is known as “The first Marcus Car”.
In 1885, Karl Benz created the Motorwagen, the first gasoline-powered commercial automobile. It was powered by a four-stroke gasoline engine, which was Benz own design. However, Benz vehicle also faced problems because the early-1888 version of the Motorwagen had to be pushed when driving up a steep hill. In 1893, Benz created the Benz Victoria, which was designed for two passengers and intended to be sold for a lower cost to encourage mass production of the automobile. Also the first motorbike was built with Benz internal combustion engine. In that same year, Gottlieb Daimler created the first motorcycle, by installing a smaller version of this engine in a wooden bicycle.
Following these great inventors was Henry Ford, who build his first automobile in 1886 in Michigan. Henry was also the founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of modern assembly lines used in mass production. Henry was well on his way to developing motorized vehicles. In 1906 Ford introduced the Model N, which at the time was very pricy. Trying to make his vehicles affordable, Ford introduced the Model T design vehicle, his introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and the American industry. The Model T had fuel economy on the order of 13 to 21 mpg, and the engine was capable of running on gasoline or ethanol.
Back To Top 1990's to Present |
1990s to Present: Mass Production Transportation
Henry then departed from his company, and the company reformed as the Cadillac Automobile Company in 1902. Cadillac’s first car was completed in October 1902, the 10 hp Cadillac, it was practically identical to the Ford Model A. Cadillac was the first car manufacturer to release cars with a fully enclosed cab as factory equipment in 1910. In 1912, Charles Kettering invents electric starter for Cadillac, thus Cadillac became the first manufacturer to incorporate an electric starter on their cars equipped with gasoline internal combustion engines.
In 1919, The Hispano-Suiza H6B, a French luxury car, demonstrates the first single foot pedal to operate coupled four-wheel brakes. However, in 1922, The Duesenberg is the first American car with four-wheel hydraulic brakes, replacing ones that relied on the pressure of the driver’s foot alone. In 1934, First successful mass-produced front-wheel-drive car was invented by The French automobile Citroën Traction Avant. Continuing throughout the 20th century, air bags, air conditioners, electronic fuel injection system, antilock braking system, and automatic stability control are developed into vehicles.
In 1972, Victor Wouk builds the first full-powered, full-size hybrid vehicle out of a 1972 Buick Skylark provided by General Motors. In 1997 Toyota unveils the Prius, the world's first commercially mass-produced and marketed hybrid car. Throughout the 1970’ and the 2000’s, several big car manufacturers produce all-electric cars. Though a few electric cars and plug-in hybrids are currently available on the market, several new models scheduled to hit the streets in the near future. However, challenges to mass adoption of electrical cars include high sticker prices, limited battery life and travel range, and building charging stations and other infrastructure to support electric vehicles.
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