Katerina Swanson
The history of cars is a long and fascinating one, with the original idea of the automobile predating its first recorded mention in Homer's Iliad. The first true automobile was built in 1769 by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot, a Frenchman, and was a three-wheeled steam-powered vehicle. However, the first car to run on gasoline was invented by Siegfried Marcus in 1875, and it was the first vehicle to be powered by a four-cycle engine. The gasoline engine has since become reliable, practical, and efficient, with gasoline cars becoming larger and more powerful by 1910.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year | 1875 or 1888/1889 |
| Inventor | Siegfried Marcus |
| Fuel | Gasoline |
| Engine | Four-cycle |
| Carburetor | Yes |
| Magneto ignition | Yes |
| First modern car | Carl Benz's 1886 model |
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What You'll Learn
The first gasoline-powered car
The history of cars stretches back to the 1600s when a Dutch physicist, Christiaan Huygens, designed the first internal combustion engine. However, it wasn't until the 1760s that the first self-powered road vehicles, steam-powered automobiles, were invented by Nicolas Joseph Cugnot.
Many people regard Gottlieb Daimler or Karl Benz as the true inventors of the automobile because they created highly successful and practical gasoline-powered vehicles that ushered in the age of modern automobiles. These cars looked and worked like the cars we use today.
In 1885, German mechanical engineer Karl Benz designed and built the world's first practical automobile to be powered by an internal-combustion engine. On January 29, 1886, Benz received the first patent (DRP No. 37435) for a gas-fueled car. It was a three-wheeler; Benz built his first four-wheeled car in 1891. The first model of the Motorwagen did not have a carburettor; instead, it had a basin of fuel-soaked fibres that supplied fuel to the cylinder by evaporation.
Karl Benz's wife, Bertha, was aware of the need for publicity for the Motorwagen, so in August 1888, she took the Patent-Motorwagen No. 3 and drove it on the first long-distance internal combustion automobile road trip. She took her sons, aged 14 and 15, on a ride from Mannheim through Heidelberg, and Wiesloch, to her hometown of Pforzheim.
By the early 1900s, gasoline cars started to outsell all other types of motor vehicles. They were more popular than steam or electric cars because they were easier to use and could travel further without refuelling.
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The first hydrogen-powered car
The first cars, which debuted in the 1700s, ran on steam. However, the first hydrogen-powered car engine was designed even earlier, in 1806 or 1807, by Francois Isaac de Rivaz of Switzerland. De Rivaz's engine used a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen for fuel, and he built a car to accommodate his engine in 1807. However, his design was very unsuccessful.
In the following decades, inventors continued to experiment with hydrogen fuel. In 1839, the first fuel cell was conceived, and in 1889, Ludwig Mond and Charles Langer built a fuel cell prototype using industrial coal gas and air. Lenoir, who in 1860 invented the Hippomobile, a one-cylinder, two-stroke engine, created hydrogen by electrolyzing water, and the resulting hydrogen gas powered the engine. Lenoir eventually sold 350-400 Hippomobiles.
In 1933, the Norsk Hydro power company in Norway converted one of their small trucks to run on hydrogen gas. In 1959, a fuel cell powered a 2-horsepower tractor, and in the early 1960s, GE produced a fuel-cell electrical power system for NASA's space program. In 1966, General Motors introduced the Electrovan, one of the first fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). The Electrovan used a fuel cell that combined liquid oxygen and supercooled liquid hydrogen.
In 1970, Karl Kordesch built a fuel cell hybrid car, the K. Kordesch, which ran on public roads for three years. In 1972, Roger Billings' team developed the Brigham Young Superbeetle, a hydrogen-powered Volkswagen that won first place for emissions in the Urban Vehicle Design Competition in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In 1979, BMW produced the BMW 520h, a four-door passenger car that could run on either gasoline or liquid hydrogen.
In 1998, Iceland announced its plan to convert all its public transportation vehicles to fuel-cell vehicles over ten years. In 1999, the first commercial hydrogen station for trucks and cars opened in Germany, and in 2002, the Toyota FCHV and Honda FCX became the world's first government-certified commercial hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. In 2018, Norway, China, and parts of the UK began using fuel-cell buses and other hydrogen-powered vehicles.
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The first electric car
The first cars, which debuted in the late 1700s, ran on steam. However, the first electric cars appeared long before gasoline-powered automobiles.
The history of electric cars can be traced back to the 1830s, with Scotland's Robert Anderson, who built a motorized carriage between 1832 and 1839. The batteries that powered Anderson's carriage were not rechargeable, so it was more of a novelty than a practical form of transportation. Despite this limitation, Anderson's motorized carriage is considered one of the first electric cars.
In the mid-19th century, innovators in Hungary, the Netherlands, and the United States, including a blacksmith from Vermont, began experimenting with the concept of battery-powered vehicles and created some of the first small-scale electric cars. Around the same time, Robert Anderson, a British inventor, developed the first crude electric carriage.
It wasn't until the 1890s that the first successful electric car made its debut. William Morrison, a chemist from Des Moines, Iowa, created a six-passenger vehicle capable of a top speed of 14 miles per hour. While Morrison's electric car was little more than an electrified wagon, it sparked interest in electric vehicles in the United States.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, electric cars proved their capabilities in motorsports. In 1896, electric cars built by Philadelphians Pedro Salom and Henry G. Morris won a series of five-mile sprint races against gasoline-powered automobiles. In the spring of 1899, Belgian Camille Jenatzy broke the 100-km/h and 60-mph barriers in his electric racing car, "La Jamais Contente."
By 1900, electric cars were at their peak of popularity, accounting for around a third of all vehicles on the road. However, with the introduction of mass-produced gasoline-powered cars, such as the Ford Model T in 1908, electric cars began to lose their market share. Despite this, electric cars have continued to evolve and are seeing a resurgence in popularity today due to their environmental benefits and the development of more efficient battery technology.
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The first steam-powered car
The first automobile was a steam-powered vehicle built by Nicolas Joseph Cugnot, a French engineer and mechanic, in 1769. Recognised by the British Royal Automobile Club and the Automobile Club de France, Cugnot's invention was a three-wheeled military tractor that used a steam engine to haul artillery. The steam engine and boiler were separate from the rest of the vehicle and placed in the front. The vehicle could go as fast as 2.5 miles per hour and had to stop every 10 to 15 minutes to build up steam power.
The following year, Cugnot built a steam-powered tricycle that could carry four passengers. However, his experiments with road vehicles ended after he drove one of his automobiles into a stone wall in 1771, often considered the first motor vehicle accident. Cugnot is also known for designing two steam locomotives with engines that never worked well.
The first steam-powered vehicle was supposedly built even earlier, in 1679, by Ferdinand Verbiest, a Flemish Jesuit in China. Verbiest's vehicle was a toy for the Chinese Emperor. While not intended to carry passengers and therefore not exactly a car, Verbiest's device is likely to be the first-ever engine-powered vehicle.
In the United States, the first steam-powered land vehicle was invented by Oliver Evans, who was granted a patent for it in 1789. In 1801, Richard Trevithick built a road carriage powered by steam—the first in Great Britain. Trevithick's London Steam Carriage ran successfully in London in 1803 but failed to attract interest. From 1820 to 1840, steam-powered stagecoaches were in regular service in Britain, and steam-driven road tractors pulled passenger carriages in Paris and Bordeaux up to 1850.
In the 1880s, the first large-scale manufacturers of steam-powered cars emerged, particularly in France, with Bollée (1878) and De Dion-Bouton (1883) being the first. During this time, inventors tried very hard to make cars that would run well enough for everyday use. These experimental cars ran on steam, gasoline, or electricity. However, by 1905, gasoline cars had become more popular than steam or electric cars because they were easier to use and could travel further without refuelling. Steam engines were also more likely to burn or explode.
Nevertheless, steam-powered cars continued to be manufactured in the early 20th century, with notable manufacturers in the United States, such as Clark (1895-1909), Locomobile (1899-1903), and Stanley (1897-1924). Even in the 1940s, enthusiasts continued to construct various steam cars, and in the 1960s, there were attempts to build steam-powered cars for the Indianapolis 500.
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The first four-cycle engine
Otto's invention was a significant milestone in the history of cars and engine design. As soon as he had completed his engine, he built it into a motorcycle. Prior to this, in 1867, Otto and Eugen Langen had built a working engine.
The first automobile, however, is credited to Nicolas Joseph Cugnot of France, who in 1769, built what is considered to be the first true automobile, a three-wheeled steam-driven vehicle. It was a huge, heavy steam-powered tricycle that could carry four people and run for 20 minutes at 2.25 miles (3.6 km) per hour.
Following Cugnot's invention, many people in the 1770s attempted to make cars that ran on steam, with varying levels of success. In 1806, Francois Isaac de Rivaz of Switzerland invented an internal combustion engine that used a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen for fuel. In 1807, he designed a car for his engine, which is considered the first internal combustion-powered automobile, although it was very unsuccessful.
In 1824, English engineer Samuel Brown adapted an old Newcomen steam engine to burn gas and used it to power a vehicle up Shooter's Hill in London. In 1826, he tested his hydrogen-fuelled internal combustion engine by using it to propel a vehicle up the same hill.
The first modern car, a practical, marketable automobile for everyday use, and the first car in series production, appeared in 1886 when Carl Benz developed a gasoline-powered automobile and made several identical copies. This was also the first car to be powered by an internal-combustion engine.
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Frequently asked questions
The first car, invented by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot in 1769, was a steam-powered tricycle.
From the 1770s, many people tried to make cars that would run on steam. Some of these early attempts worked well, while others didn't. Some early cars also ran on electricity.
The first modern car, a practical, marketable automobile for everyday use, was developed by Carl Benz in 1886. It was a gasoline-powered automobile.
Over the years, cars have been powered by a variety of fuels, including hydrogen, coal gas, and liquid petroleum.
