Auto Mobile History

The automobile as we know it was not made-up in a single day by a single inventor. The history of the automobile reflects a development that took place worldwide. It is estimated that over 100,000 patents created the contemporary automobile. However, we could point to the many firsts that occurred along the way. It was starting with the first theoretical plans for a motor vehicle that had been drawn up by both Leonardo da Vinci and Isaac Newton.

In 1769, the very first self-propelled road motor vehicle was a military tractor invented by French engineer and mechanic, Nicolas Joseph Cugnot (1725 - 1804). Cugnot used a steam engine to power his vehicle, build under his instructions at the Paris Arsenal by mechanic Brezin. It was used by the French Army to haul weaponry at a whopping speed of 2 1/2 mph on only three wheels. The vehicle had to stop each ten to fifteen minutes to build up steam power. The steam engine and boiler was dividing from the rest of the vehicle and located in the front (see engraving above). The following year (1770), Cugnot built a steam-powered tricycle that approved four passengers.

Steam engines powered cars by on fire fuel that heated water in a boiler, creating vapor that expanded and pushed pistons that twisted the crankshaft, which then turned the wheels. During the early history of self-propelled vehicles - both road and railroad vehicles were being urbanized with steam engines. (Cugnot also designed two steam locomotives with engines that never worked well.) Steam engines added so much weight to a vehicle that they proved a poor design for road vehicle; however, steam engines were very successfully used in locomotives. Historians, who recognize that early steam-powered road vehicles were automobiles, feel that Nicolas Cugnot was the discoverer of the first automobile.

Early Electric Cars
Steam engines were not the only engines used in early automobiles. Vehicles with electrical engines were also imaginary. Between 1833 and 1839 (the exact year is uncertain), Robert Anderson of Scotland invented the first electric carriage. Electric cars used rechargeable batteries that motorized a small electric motor. The vehicles were heavy, slow, luxurious, and needed to stop for recharging frequently. Both steam and electric road vehicles were deserted in favor of gas-powered vehicles. Electricity found greater success in tramways and streetcars, where a constant supply of electricity was possible.

Auto Mobile History Eras