A car or an automobile is a four-wheeled motor vehicle that is used for transporting and carrying passengers from one place to another. The car is powered by a motor and engine that are fitted in it. Cars are usually only driven on roads and have a seating capacity of 2-8 people. Besides carrying passengers, it may also be used for transporting goods.
Motor cars could also be modified to produce electric railway systems having the capacity of carrying both passengers and luggage. There is a very wide population of cars all over the world. By assigning one car to eleven people, there are almost 600 million cars present in this world. This number is continuing to increase rapidly mainly in countries like India and China. However, the highest number recorded so far was in 2007, which was almost 806 million cars, including small trucks. Consequently, these engines produce a very high air pollution reaching to 260 billion gallon of fuel (diesel and petrol) every year.
The name ‘car’ originated from the Latin name carrum or carrus which means a vehicle which has wheels. It is also said to originate from the Middle English name carre or cart which, on the other hand, originated from the Gaulish name karros which is basically a Gallic chariot. The history of the car is very interesting and dated as far back as the 18th century. According to the historians, the car was invented by a single person and in only one day. It is also said that the automobile was created by almost 100,000 patents. However, in this article, we would mainly put light on some of the first ones. The basic idea and theme of the car was originally developed by both Isaac Newton and Leonardo da Vinci. Though numerous successful attempts were made to produce various steam engines, it was in 1885 when the proper car finally came to be driven on roads.
Later, in 1769, the first ever road vehicle which could be pushed and drove was introduced by a French mechanic and engineer, named Nicholas Joseph Cugnot. This vehicle was powered by a steam engine which was constructed by mechanic Brezin under Cugnot’s supervision at the Paris Arsenal. This new technological vehicle also came to be used in the French Army for pulling weaponry on three wheels at a speed of almost 2 ½ mph. However, this vehicle was not consistent in its drive and had to stop after every 15 minutes to retrieve steam power in itself. The boiler and steam engine of the vehicle was placed separately on the front side.
Soon after this, in 1770 came the invention of a steam-powered tricycle. This was again developed by Cugnot and could accommodate up to four passengers. Another year later, high-speed steam-powered vehicles were also developed, which became the first ones to cause a car accident. However, they made a huge success in locomotives. Although these vehicles were extremely heavy and could only be driven on flat metal surfaces, it is also true that they formed the basic design of the cars that we are familiar with today. Also see: The Development of the Car through the Years.
The Development of the Car through the Years
There are many people that contributed to the development of the first automobile. A French mechanic and engineer, named Nicholas Joseph Cugnot created a steam-powered vehicle which was modified and upgraded by numerous engineers, including Onesiphore Pecqueur, who introduced the first differential gear. Also, Richard Trevithick designed the steam road carriage in 1801. These coaches were greatly used for local transport service in Britain for a number of years.
The next major development in the history of cars was the internal-combustion engine by Francois Isaac de Rivaz in 1807. He mixed together oxygen and hydrogen to produce energy. Internal combustion engines were incorporated in many different designed cars during the 19th century, but they were still not able to gain much popularity. This was mainly due to the reason that there was no particular fuel that could be internally combusted in the engine without creating any hazard. Meanwhile, several other steam-powered road tractors were continued to be invented in the following years by engineers like Joseph Dixon, William T. James, Harrison Dyer, Rufus Porter and others.
Afterwards, in 1860, a French engineer named Jean Joseph Etienne Lenoir developed the two-stroke engine driven by gas. After two years, another experimental vehicle powered by the gas engine was again invented by the same engineer. This vehicle could be driven at a speed of almost 3km/h. These new vehicles earned a great deal of popularity among the people. These were some of the most common vehicles that could be seen on the roads in 1865. However, the engineer could not make much money out of his new invention neither could he enjoy his unique development due to his early death.
Later, in 1883, steam cars were further upgraded by Amedee Bollee Sr., to form much more advanced cars with the engine placed at the front, a shaft drive towards the differential, the steering wheel on a vertical tube, the driver’s seat placed at the engine’s back, the back wheels having a chain drive, while the boiler was situated behind the passenger seat.
In 1893, the first car which was powered by gasoline was invented by Charles and Frank Duryear brothers. The design of this vehicle resembled to Lenoir’s gas-powered vehicle. The new vehicle made its first drive on the road on 21 September, 1893, in Springfield, MA. By 1896, many Henry Ford cars came to be driven on the roads. Henry used the money which he made out of his successful invention to design another car. Very soon, in 1899, together with the Mayor of Detriot’s assistance, he was able to establish the Detriot Automobile Company. Unfortunately, due to lack of further car developments, this company was closed down in January 1901. It was not until 1903 that a new car model was once again available for sale by Ford.
After this, many new cars continued to evolve throughout the years, becoming more and more advanced, comfortable and luxurious with the passage of time. Today, when cars have become a necessity for almost everybody, alternative forms of fuel are being searched to meet the growing demand of vehicles and to lower the pollution created by them.