The Evolution Of The Automobile

The history of cars

Steam And Electricity Power The Earliest Vehicles (1700s-1890s)

you might be surprised to learn that the first automobiles powered by steam and electricity. You may also be surprised that to learn that the first automobile was developed in the late 18th century. Those first vehicles used steam. It was an energy source that was used to power trains for years. But it was not until the 1870s that steam power became more practical for small vehicles . Despite the improvements, there were still many flaws. Steam-powered vehicles took a very long to to get started and had a limited range.

Mass Produced Gas-Powered Cars Corner the Market (1890s-1930s)

Although some of the cars were steam-powered from the 18th century, Karl Benz invented the first gas-powered car in 1885, for which he later received a patent in 1886. Benz’s first car had three wheels. Four wheel gas-powered cars were later on introduced in 1891. The invention of gas-powered car was marked the beginning of vehicle development in America. The first cars did not have any windshields, doors, or turn signals, or even a round steering wheel a far cry then what we are used to. It can be said that Karl Benz’s first car with a gas engine was the main catalyst for the production of modern cars. And many other car manufacturers followed in his footsteps and tried to create their own version of the car.

Modern Day Features

This brings us to modern cars with bluetooth, hard drives, advanced security systems, GPS, WI-FI and even the ability to parallel park. It seems crazy, but it’s true, in this era cars come with standard features that were once luxuries (or didn’t even exist). And driverless cars, which once seemed like something out of a science fiction movie, are really close to reality. It’s amazing to think how far cars have come and where technology is going along the way.