Automobiles (or cars) are vehicles that have four wheels and an engine or motor to make them move. Automobiles use chemical energy from gasoline to drive their wheels, or electrical energy from a battery to make them turn. Their speed is determined by how much energy they have, and their power is measured in kilowatts or horsepower. The automobile has transformed the lives of millions of people. It has allowed families to visit relatives over long distances, and businesses to expand in new directions. It has also shaped social attitudes and behavior.
Modern life would be nearly inconceivable without the automobile. There are now over three trillion miles (five trillion kilometers) traveled by automobiles each year in the world. This makes the car one of the most important inventions of the twentieth century.
The question of who invented the automobile is a controversial one. Some scholars have credited the Italian artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci for his drawings of transport vehicles, and others have suggested that Ferdinand Verbiest, a Jesuit missionary in China, may have built the first steam-powered automobile in 1672.
In the 19th century, European manufacturers began to produce automobiles using internal engines powered by steam, electricity, or gasoline. Steam-powered vehicles could move at high speeds, but they were often difficult to start and had limited ranges. Electric vehicles had an advantage over steam cars in that they were easy to start, but their batteries required regular recharging.
Karl Benz is widely considered to have invented the modern automobile in 1885 or 1886. He fitted a horse carriage with his own two-stroke internal combustion engine and tested it in Vienna. He later improved his design with a four-stroke engine and produced his own automobiles in a factory in Germany from 1890 to 1895. Benz and Gottlieb Daimler were rivals, but it is believed that they did not know of each other’s early work.
Although automobiles have many benefits, they also create a number of problems. Traffic jams and accidents can cause delays that disrupt ordinary life, while pollution from exhaust can affect air quality. As the world’s demand for automobiles grows, new industries develop to supply the fuel, tires, and other materials needed to make them run, as well as jobs in manufacturing and service.
Automobiles opened up the world for people who did not live near a city center. They helped people to travel for business or pleasure, and gave them more freedom than they had previously had. Family vacations were able to be extended over longer distances, and urban dwellers were able to rediscover the pristine landscapes of rural America. Teenagers gained more independence by having their own automobiles, and dating couples were able to travel longer distances to meet up.
After World War II market saturation and technological stagnation set in, questions arose about the pollution caused by “gas-guzzling” American cars, as well as concerns about the draining of global oil reserves. These issues led to the development of new vehicles, including the more functional and fuel-efficient Japanese cars.