 Karl Benz's "Velo" model (1894) - entered into an early automobile race  World map of passenger cars per 1000 people. An automobile (via French from Greek auto, self and Latin mobilis moving, a vehicle that moves itself rather than being moved by another vehicle or animal) or motor car (usually shortened to just car) is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally for the transport of people rather than goods.[1] However, the term is far from precise because there are many types of vehicles that do similar tasks. Look up car in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1760x1412, 574 KB) Benz Patent-Motorwagen Velo Foto by Softeis, 3/10/2004 at/im http://de. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1760x1412, 574 KB) Benz Patent-Motorwagen Velo Foto by Softeis, 3/10/2004 at/im http://de. ...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 351 pixelsFull resolution (1425 × 625 pixel, file size: 59 KB, MIME type: image/png)This bubble map shows the global distribution of passenger cars in use in 2000 as a percentage of the top market (USA - 212,706,400). ...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 351 pixelsFull resolution (1425 × 625 pixel, file size: 59 KB, MIME type: image/png)This bubble map shows the global distribution of passenger cars in use in 2000 as a percentage of the top market (USA - 212,706,400). ...
The Trikke is a Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) Automobiles are among the most commonly used engine powered vehicles. ...
For other uses, see Wheel (disambiguation). ...
A passenger is a term broadly used to describe any person who travels in a vehicle, but bears little or no responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination. ...
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Internal combustion engine. ...
A motor is a device that converts energy into mechanical power, and is often synonymous with engine. ...
There were 590 million passenger cars worldwide (roughly one car for every eleven people) as of 2002.[2]
History
 Replica of the Benz Patent Motorwagen built in 1885 -
Although Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot is often credited with building the first self-propelled mechanical vehicle or automobile in about 1769, this claim is disputed by some, who doubt Cugnot's three-wheeler ever ran. Others claim Ferdinand Verbiest, a member of a Jesuit mission in China, built the first steam-powered 'car' around 1672[3][4]. What is not in doubt is that Richard Trevithick built and demonstrated his Puffing Devil road locomotive in 1801, the first truly successful steam-powered road vehicle. This image is in the public domain in the United States and possibly other jurisdictions. ...
This image is in the public domain in the United States and possibly other jurisdictions. ...
Download high resolution version (1164x1141, 224 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
Download high resolution version (1164x1141, 224 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
Vehicles that can be considered automobiles were demonstrated as early as 1769, although that date is disputed, and 1885 marked the introduction of gasoline powered internal combustion engines. ...
Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot (26 February 1725 – 2 October 1804) was a French inventor who is claimed by the French government to have built the first self-propelled mechanical vehicle or automobile. ...
Father Ferdinand Verbiest (October 9, 1623-January 28, 1688) was a Belgian Jesuit missionary in China. ...
The history of the missions of the Jesuits in China in the early modern era stands as one of the notable events in the early history of relations between China and the Western world, as well as a prominent example of relations between two cultures and belief systems in the...
Richard Trevithick (born April 13, 1771 in Cornwall - died April 22, 1833 in Kent) was a British inventor, mining engineer and builder of the first working railway steam locomotive. ...
François Isaac de Rivaz, a Swiss inventor, designed the first internal combustion engine, in 1806, which was fuelled by a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen and used it to develop the world's first vehicle to run on such an engine. The design was not very successful, as was the case with Samuel Brown, Samuel Morey, and Etienne Lenoir who each produced vehicles powered by clumsy internal combustion engines.[5] François Isaac de Rivaz (Paris, December 19, 1752 – Sion, July 30, 1828) was a Swiss inventor. ...
A colorized automobile engine The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of fuel and an oxidizer (typically air) occurs in a confined space called a combustion chamber. ...
This article is about the chemistry of hydrogen. ...
This article is about the chemical element and its most stable form, or dioxygen. ...
Samuel Brown is an English engineer who developed an internal combustion engine. ...
Samuel Morely (October 23, 1762 - April 17, 1843) was an American inventor, who invented an internal combustion engine and was a pioneer in steamships who accumulated a total of 20 patents. ...
Jean Joseph Etienne Lenoir (1822-1900) was born in Mussy-la-Ville, Belgium, in 1822. ...
In November 1881 French inventor Gustave Trouvé demonstrated a working three-wheeled automobile. This was at the International Exhibition of Electricity in Paris.[6] Gustave Trouvé (1839-1902) was a French electrical engineer of the 19th Century. ...
An automobile powered by an Otto gasoline engine was built in Mannheim, Germany by Karl Benz in 1885 and granted a patent in January of the following year under the auspices of his major company, Benz & Cie. which was founded in 1883. Today Internal combustion engines in cars, trucks, motorcycles, construction machinery and many others, most commonly use a four-stroke cycle. ...
Mannheim is a city in Germany. ...
Karl Benz Karl Friedrich Benz, for whom an alternate French spelling of Carl is used ocassionaly, (November 25, 1844, Karlsruhe, Germany – April 4, 1929, Ladenburg, Germany) was a German engine designer and automobile engineer, generally regarded as the inventor of the gasoline-powered automobile. ...
1885 (MDCCCLXXXV) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...
For other uses, see Patent (disambiguation). ...
Although several other German engineers (including Gottlieb Daimler, Wilhelm Maybach, and Siegfried Marcus) were working on the problem at about the same time, Karl Benz is generally acknowledged as the inventor of the modern automobile.[5] In 1879 Benz was granted a patent for his first engine, designed in 1878. Many of his other inventions made the use of the internal combustion engine feasible for powering a vehicle and in 1896, Benz designed and patented the first internal combustion flat engine. Gottlieb Daimler Gottlieb Wilhelm Daimler (March 17, 1834 - March 6, 1900) was an engineer, industrial designer and industrialist, born in Schorndorf (Kingdom of Württemberg), in what is now Germany. ...
Wilhelm Maybach Wilhelm Maybach (February 9, 1846 – December 29, 1929), was an early German engine designer and industrialist. ...
Siegfried Marcus 1831-1898 Siegfried Samuel Marcus (born in Malchin, Mecklenburg, Germany, on 1831-09-18, died in Vienna on 1898-07-01) was a German – Austrian inventor and automobile pioneer of Jewish ancestry. ...
For other uses, see Inventor (disambiguation). ...
The Boxer engine, first patented by German engineer Karl Benz A flat engine is an internal combustion engine with pistons that are all relatively horizontal. ...
Approximately 25 Benz vehicles were built and sold before 1893, when his first four-wheeler was introduced. They were powered with four-stroke engines of his own design. Emile Roger of France, already producing Benz engines under license, now added the Benz automobile to his line of products. Because France was more open to the early automobiles, more were built and sold in France through Roger than Benz sold in Germany.
Daimler and Maybach founded Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (Daimler Motor Company, DMG) in Cannstatt in 1890 and under the brand name, Daimler, sold their first automobile in 1892. By 1895 about 30 vehicles had been built by Daimler and Maybach, either at the Daimler works or in the Hotel Hermann, where they set up shop after falling out with their backers. Benz and Daimler seem to have been unaware of each other's early work and worked independently. Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (Daimler Motor Company or DMG) was a German engine and later automobile manufacturer that operated from 1890 until 1926. ...
...
Daimler died in 1900 and later that year, Maybach designed a model named Daimler-Mercedes, special-ordered by Emil Jellinek. Two years later, a new model DMG automobile was produced and named Mercedes after the engine. Maybach quit DMG shortly thereafter and opened a business of his own. Rights to the Daimler brand name were sold to other manufacturers. Emil Jellinek Emil Jellinek, known after 1903 as Emil Jellinek-Mercedes (6 April 1853 – 1 January 1918) was a wealthy European entrepreneur who sat on the board of Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (DMG) between 1900 and 1909. ...
Karl Benz proposed co-operation between DMG and Benz & Cie. when economic conditions began to deteriorate in Germany following the First World War, but the directors of DMG refused to consider it initially. Negotiations between the two companies resumed several years later and in 1924 they signed an Agreement of Mutual Interest valid until the year 2000. Both enterprises standardized design, production, purchasing, sales, and advertising—marketing their automobile models jointly—although keeping their respective brands. On June 28, 1926, Benz & Cie. and DMG finally merged as the Daimler-Benz company, baptizing all of its automobiles Mercedes Benz honoring the most important model of the DMG automobiles, the Maybach design later referred to as the 1902 Mercedes-35hp, along with the Benz name. Karl Benz remained a member of the board of directors of Daimler-Benz until his death in 1929.
In 1890, Emile Levassor and Armand Peugeot of France began producing vehicles with Daimler engines, and so laid the foundation of the motor industry in France. The first American car with a gasoline internal combustion engine supposedly was designed in 1877 by George Selden of Rochester, New York, who applied for a patent on an automobile in 1879. In Britain there had been several attempts to build steam cars with varying degrees of success with Thomas Rickett even attempting a production run in 1860.[7] Santler from Malvern is recognized by the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain as having made the first petrol-powered car in the country in 1894[8] followed by Frederick William Lanchester in 1895 but these were both one-offs.[8] The first production vehicles came from the Daimler Motor Company, founded by Harry J. Lawson in 1896, and making their first cars in 1897.[8] Armand Peugeot (March 26, 1849—January 2, 1915) was an industrialist, pioneer of the automobile industry and the founder of the French firm Peugeot. ...
George B. Selden, born September 14, 1846 in Clarkson, New York, died January 17, 1922 in Rochester, New York, was a lawyer and inventor who was granted the first U.S. patent for an automobile. ...
This article is about the city of Rochester in Monroe County. ...
Thomas Rickett from Buckingham, England, made a steam powered car in 1860. ...
The Santler was a British car built in Malvern Link, Worcestershire, England, between 1889 and 1922. ...
Frederick William Lanchester (October 23, 1868 - March 8, 1946) was an English polymath and engineer who made important contributions to automotive engineering, aerodynamics and co-invented the field of operations research. ...
Logo of Daimler Daimler (pronounced Dame-ler) has, since 1896, been the motor car marque of the former British Daimler Motor Company, based in Coventry. ...
Harry John Lawson was a British engineer and motor industry pioneer. ...
In 1892, German engineer Rudolf Diesel got a patent for a "New Rational Combustion Engine". In 1897 he built the first Diesel Engine.[5] In 1895, Selden was granted a United States patent (U.S. Patent 549,160 ) for a two-stroke automobile engine, which hindered more than encouraged development of autos in the United States. Steam, electric, and gasoline powered autos competed for decades, with gasoline internal combustion engines achieving dominance in the 1910s. This article is about Rudolf Diesel, the German inventor. ...
Diesel engines in a museum Diesel generator on an oil tanker A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine which operates using the Diesel cycle. ...
The two-stroke cycle of an internal combustion engine differs from the more common four-stroke cycle by completing the same four processes (intake, compression, power, exhaust) in only two strokes of the piston rather than four. ...
Although various pistonless rotary engine designs have attempted to compete with the conventional piston and crankshaft design, only Mazda's version of the Wankel engine has had more than very limited success. A pistonless rotary engine is an internal combustion engine that does not use pistons in the way a reciprocating engine does, but instead uses one or more rotors, sometimes called rotary pistons. ...
For the American composer, see Walter Piston. ...
Crankshaft (red), pistons (gray) in their cylinders (blue), and flywheel (black) Continental engine marine crankshafts, 1942 Components of a typical, four stroke cycle, DOHC piston engine. ...
12A redirects here. ...
Wankel Engine in Deutsches Museum Munich, Germany The Wankel rotary engine is a type of internal combustion engine, invented by German engineer Felix Wankel, which uses a rotor instead of reciprocating pistons. ...
Production The large-scale, production-line manufacturing of affordable automobiles was debuted by Ransom Olds at his Oldsmobile factory in 1902. This concept was then greatly expanded by Henry Ford, beginning in 1914. Image File history File links Olds2. ...
Image File history File links Olds2. ...
Ransom E. Olds Ransom Eli Olds (June 3, 1864–August 26, 1950) was a pioneer of the American automobile industry, for whom both the Oldsmobile and Reo brands were named. ...
A production line is a set of sequential operations established in a factory whereby materials are put through a refining process to produce an end-product that is suitable for onward consumption; or components are assembled to make a finished article. ...
Ransom Eli Olds (June 3, 1864–August 26, 1950) was a pioneer of American automobile industry. ...
Oldsmobile is a brand of automobile produced for most of its existence by General Motors. ...
Henry Ford (1919) Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was the founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of modern assembly lines used in mass production. ...
As a result, Ford's cars came off the line in fifteen minute intervals, much faster than previous methods, increasing production by seven to one (requiring 12.5 man-hours before, 1 hour 33 minutes after), while using less manpower.[9] It was so successful, paint became a bottleneck. Only Japan black would dry fast enough, forcing the company to drop the variety of colors available before 1914, until fast-drying Duco lacquer was developed in 1926.[10] In 1914, an assembly line worker could buy a Model T with four months' pay.[11] For other uses, see Paint (disambiguation). ...
Duco was a trade name assigned to a product line of automotive lacquer developed by the DuPont Company in the 1920s. ...
In a general sense, lacquer is a clear or coloured coating, that dries by solvent evaporation only and that produces a hard, durable finish that can be polished to a very high gloss, and gives the illusion of depth. ...
Ford's complex safety procedures—especially assigning each worker to a specific location instead of allowing them to roam about—dramatically reduced the rate of injury. The combination of high wages and high efficiency is called "Fordism," and was copied by most major industries. The efficiency gains from the assembly line also coincided with the take off of the United States. The assembly line forced workers to work at a certain pace with very repetitive motions which led to more output per worker while other countries were using less productive methods. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Henry Ford (1919) Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was the founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of modern assembly lines used in mass production. ...
Fordism, named after Henry Ford, has different meanings in the United States and Europe. ...
In the automotive industry, its success was dominating, and quickly spread worldwide. Ford France and Ford Britain in 1911, Ford Denmark 1923, Ford Germany 1925; in 1921, Citroen was the first native European manufacturer to adopt it. Soon, companies had to have assembly lines, or risk going broke; by 1930, 250 companies which did not had disappeared.[12] The automotive industry is the industry involved in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, and sale of motor vehicles. ...
Citro n is a French automobile manufacturer started in 1919 by Andr Citro n. ...
Development of automotive technology was rapid, due in part to the hundreds of small manufacturers competing to gain the world's attention. Key developments included electric ignition and the electric self-starter (both by Charles Kettering, for the Cadillac Motor Company in 1910-1911), independent suspension, and four-wheel brakes. The ignition system of an internal-combustion engine is an important part of the overall engine system that provides for the timely burning of the fuel mixture within the engine. ...
Charles Kettering, on a Time cover, 1933 Charles Franklin Kettering (August 29, 1876 – November 24 or November 25, 1958), also known as Boss Kettering, was born in northern Ohio, USA. He was a farmer, school teacher, mechanic, engineer, scientist, inventor and social philosopher. ...
Cadillac is a brand of luxury automobile, part of the General Motors corporation, produced and mostly sold in the USA; outside of North America, they have been less successful. ...
The front suspension components of a Ford Model T. Suspension is the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. ...
 Ford Model T, 1927, regarded as the first affordable automobile Since the 1920s, nearly all cars have been mass-produced to meet market needs, so marketing plans have often heavily influenced automobile design. It was Alfred P. Sloan who established the idea of different makes of cars produced by one company, so buyers could "move up" as their fortunes improved. Image File history File links Picture of non-black 1927 Model T at Greenfield Village, photo by rmhermen File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Image File history File links Picture of non-black 1927 Model T at Greenfield Village, photo by rmhermen File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
The Ford Model T (colloquially known as the Tin Lizzie and the Flivver) was an automobile produced by Henry Fords Ford Motor Company from 1908 through 1927. ...
Cover of Time Magazine (December 27, 1926) Alfred Pritchard Sloan, Jr. ...
Reflecting the rapid pace of change, makes shared parts with one another so larger production volume resulted in lower costs for each price range. For example, in the 1930s, LaSalles, sold by Cadillac, used cheaper mechanical parts made by Oldsmobile; in the 1950s, Chevrolet shared hood, doors, roof, and windows with Pontiac; by the 1990s, corporate drivetrains and shared platforms (with interchangeable brakes, suspension, and other parts) were common. Even so, only major makers could afford high costs, and even companies with decades of production, such as Apperson, Cole, Dorris, Haynes, or Premier, could not manage: of some two hundred carmakers in existence in 1920, only 43 survived in 1930, and with the Great Depression, by 1940, only 17 of those were left.[13] 1936 LaSalle 5019 - see additional photos below For other uses of the name, see the LaSalle/La Salle disambiguation page. ...
For other uses, see Cadillac (disambiguation). ...
Oldsmobile is a brand of automobile produced for most of its existence by General Motors. ...
Chevrolet (IPA: - French origin) (colloquially Chevy) is a brand of automobile, produced by General Motors (GM). ...
This article is about Pontiac automobiles; for the Native American leader, see Chief Pontiac, for other uses see the Pontiac (disambiguation). ...
Drivetrain is the twelfth studio album by southern rock band . ...
An automobile platform is a shared set of components common to a number of different automobiles. ...
This article is about the vehicle component. ...
1916 Apperson Jack Rabbit Touring Car The Apperson was a brand of American automobile manufactured from 1902 to 1926 in Kokomo, Indiana. ...
For other uses, see The Great Depression (disambiguation). ...
In Europe, much the same would happen. Morris set up its production line at Cowley in 1924, and soon outsold Ford, while beginning in 1923 to follow Ford's practise of vertical integration, buying Hotchkiss (engines), Wrigley (gearboxes), and Osberton (radiators), for instance, as well as competitors, such as Wolseley: in 1925, Morris had 41% of total British car production. Most British small-car assemblers, from Autocrat to Meteorite to Seabrook, to name only three, had gone under.[14] Citroen did the same in France, coming to cars in 1919; between them and the cheap cars in reply, Renault's 10CV and Peugeot's 5CV, they produced 550000 cars in 1925, and Mors, Hurtu, and others could not compete.[15] Germany's first mass-manufactured car, the Opel 4PS Laubfrosch (Tree Frog), came off the line at Russelsheim in 1924, soon making Opel the top car builder in Germany, with 37.5% of the market.[16] Morris Motor logo, from a UK Royal Mail van 1927 Morris Cowley 1928 Morris Minor Saloon 1946 Morris Ten Series M 1953 Morris Minor Series 2 1971 Morris 1000 Traveller The Morris Motor Company was a former British car manufacturing company. ...
Map sources for Cowley at grid reference SP5504 Cowley in Oxfordshire is a residential and industrial area within the city of Oxford, originating with the former villages of Cowley, Temple Cowley and Cowley St John (Also occasionally referred to as Church Cowley). The Cowley area underwent massive transformation from 1912...
It has been suggested that Vertical expansion be merged into this article or section. ...
Hotchkiss cars were made between 1903 and 1955 by the French company Hotchkiss et Cie in Saint-Denis, Paris. ...
The Wolseley Motor Company was an automobile manufacturer in the United Kingdom from 1905. ...
An autocrat is generally speaking any ruler with absolute power; the term is now usually used in a negative sense (cf. ...
Willamette Meteorite A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives an impact with the Earths surface without being destroyed. ...
Seabrook is the name of several places in the United States of America: Seabrook, Maryland Seabrook, Massachusetts Seabrook, New Hampshire Seabrook Farms, New Jersey Seabrook, Texas It may also refer to the Seabrook Nuclear Power Station in Seabrook, New Hampshire. ...
For the author, see Mary Renault. ...
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën. ...
Central Automobile Company was a manufacturer of Brass Era automobiles in New York, New York. ...
This article is about the European car manufacturer. ...
Rüsselsheim is the largest city in the Groß-Gerau district in the Rhein-Main region of Germany. ...
- See also: Automotive industry
The automotive industry is the industry involved in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, and sale of motor vehicles. ...
Fuel and propulsion technologies - See also: Alternative fuel vehicle
Most automobiles in use today are propelled by gasoline (also known as petrol) or diesel internal combustion engines, which are known to cause air pollution and are also blamed for contributing to climate change and global warming.[17] Increasing costs of oil-based fuels, tightening environmental laws and restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions are propelling work on alternative power systems for automobiles. Efforts to improve or replace existing technologies include the development of hybrid vehicles, and electric and hydrogen vehicles which do not release pollution into the air. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2816x2112, 2583 KB) [edit] Summary [edit] Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Auto rickshaw Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2816x2112, 2583 KB) [edit] Summary [edit] Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Auto rickshaw Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera...
Passengers and drivers meet at this auto rickshaw stand in Chennai. ...
This article is about the capital city of India. ...
Typical North America vehicles carry this diamond shape symbol, meaning it is running on compressed natural gas fuel. ...
Alternative Fuel Vehicle refers to a vehicle that runs on a fuel other than traditional gasoline or diesel; any method of powering an engine that does not involve petroleum. ...
Look up gasoline in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
This article is about the fuel. ...
Air pollution is the modification of the natural characteristics of the atmosphere by a chemical, particulate matter, or biological agent. ...
Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 450,000 years For current global climate change, see Global warming. ...
Global warming refers to the increase in the average temperature of the Earths near-surface air and oceans in recent decades and its projected continuation. ...
For other uses, see Law (disambiguation). ...
Top: Increasing atmospheric CO2 levels as measured in the atmosphere and ice cores. ...
For other types of hybrid transportation, see Hybrid vehicle (disambiguation). ...
For battery powered passenger automobiles, see battery electric vehicle. ...
Sequel, a fuel cell-powered vehicle from General Motors Filler neck for hydrogen of a BMW, Museum Autovision, Altlußheim, Germany Tank for liquid hydrogen of Linde, Museum Autovision, Altlußheim, Germany A hydrogen vehicle is a vehicle that uses hydrogen as its on-board fuel for motive power. ...
Diesel -
Main article: Diesel engine Diesel-engined cars have long been popular in Europe with the first models being introduced in the 1930s by Mercedes Benz and Citroen. The main benefit of diesel engines is a 50% fuel burn efficiency compared with 27%[18] in the best gasoline engines. A down-side of the diesel is the presence in the exhaust gases of fine soot particulates and manufacturers are now starting to fit filters to remove these. Many diesel-powered cars can also run with little or no modifications on 100% biodiesel. Diesel engines in a museum Diesel generator on an oil tanker A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine which operates using the Diesel cycle. ...
Mercedes-Benz Cars is a German brand of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks owned by Daimler AG, previously Daimler-Benz (1926–1998). ...
Citro n is a French automobile manufacturer started in 1919 by Andr Citro n. ...
This article is about transesterified lipids. ...
Gasoline -
Main article: Petrol engine Gasoline engines have the advantage over diesel in being lighter and able to work at higher rotational speeds and they are the usual choice for fitting in high-performance sports cars. Continuous development of gasoline engines for over a hundred years has produced improvements in efficiency and reduced pollution. The carburetor was used on nearly all road car engines until the 1980s but it was long realised better control of the fuel/air mixture could be achieved with fuel injection. Indirect fuel injection was first used in aircraft engines from 1909, in racing car engines from the 1930s, and road cars from the late 1950s.[18] Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) is now starting to appear in production vehicles such as the 2007 BMW MINI. Exhaust gases are also cleaned up by fitting a catalytic converter into the exhaust system. Clean air legislation in many of the car industries most important markets has made both catalysts and fuel injection virtually universal fittings. Most modern gasoline engines are also capable of running with up to 15% ethanol mixed into the gasoline - older vehicles may have seals and hoses that can be harmed by ethanol. With a small amount of redesign, gasoline-powered vehicles can run on ethanol concentrations as high as 85%. 100% ethanol is used in some parts of the world (such as Brazil), but vehicles must be started on pure gasoline and switched over to ethanol once the engine is running. Most gasoline engined cars can also run on LPG with the addition of an LPG tank for fuel storage and carburetion modifications to add an LPG mixer. LPG produces fewer toxic emissions and is a popular fuel for fork lift trucks that have to operate inside buildings. A Petrol engine or Gasoline engine is an internal combustion engine with spark-ignition designed to run on petrol (gasoline) and similar volatile fuels. ...
Bendix-Technico (Stromberg) 1-barrel downdraft carburetor model BXUV-3, with nomenclature A carburetor (North American spelling) or carburettor (Commonwealth spelling), is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. ...
// Fuel injection is a system of fuel delivery for mixture with air in an internal combustion engine. ...
Gasoline Direct injection or GDi is a variant of fuel injection employed in modern two- and four- stroke petrol engines. ...
MINI is the name of a Cowley, England-based subsidiary of BMW as well as that of a car produced by that subsidiary since April 2001. ...
Grain alcohol redirects here. ...
Autogas is the common name for liquified petroleum gas when it is used as a fuel in internal combustion engines in vehicles. ...
Industrial compressed gas cylinders used for oxy-fuel welding and cutting of steel. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 1389 KB) en: TOYOTA FCHV(Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle). ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1280x960, 1389 KB) en: TOYOTA FCHV(Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle). ...
This article is about the automaker. ...
Bioalcohols and biogasoline Ethanol, other alcohol fuels (biobutanol) and biogasoline have widespread use an automotive fuel. Most alcohols have less energy per liter than gasoline and are usually blended with gasoline. Alcohols are used for a variety of reasons - to increase octane, to improve emissions, and as an alternative to petroleum based fuel, since they can be made from agricultural crops. Brazil's ethanol program provides about 20% of the nations automotive fuel needs, including several million cars that operate on pure ethanol. Grain alcohol redirects here. ...
Gasoline on the left, alcohol on the right at a filling station in Brazil Rising energy prices and global warming have led to increased interest in alternative fuels. ...
Butanol (butyl alcohol) is a higher alcohol with a 4 carbon atom structure and a general formula of C4H10O. There are 4 different isomeric structures for butanol (refer to box). ...
Gasoline on the left, alcohol on the right at a filling station in Brazil Brazil’s 29-year-old ethanol fuel program uses cheap sugar cane, mainly bagasse (cane-waste) for process heat and power, and modern equipment, and provides a ~22% ethanol blend used nationwide, plus 100% hydrous ethanol...
Electric -
 The Henney Kilowatt, the first modern (transistor-controlled) electric car. The first electric cars were built around 1832, well before internal combustion powered cars appeared.[19] For a period of time electrics were considered superior due to the silent nature of electric motors compared to the very loud noise of the gasoline engine. This advantage was removed with Hiram Percy Maxim's invention of the muffler in 1897. Thereafter internal combustion powered cars had two critical advantages: 1) long range and 2) high specific energy (far lower weight of petrol fuel versus weight of batteries). The building of battery electric vehicles that could rival internal combustion models had to wait for the introduction of modern semiconductor controls and improved batteries. Because they can deliver a high torque at low revolutions electric cars do not require such a complex drive train and transmission as internal combustion powered cars. Some post-2000 electric car designs such as the Venturi Fétish are able to accelerate from 0-60 mph (96 km/h) in 4.0 seconds with a top speed around 130 mph (210 km/h). Others have a range of 250 miles (400 km) on the EPA highway cycle requiring 3-1/2 hours to completely charge[20]. Equivalent fuel efficiency to internal combustion is not well defined but some press reports give it at around 135 mpg–U.S. (1.74 L/100 km / 162.1 mpg–imp). For electric vehicles other than battery powered passenger automobiles, see electric vehicle. ...
For other types of hybrid transportation, see Hybrid vehicle (disambiguation). ...
Hybrids Plus plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius conversion with PHEV-30 (30 mile or 48 km all-electric range) battery packs A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is a hybrid vehicle with batteries that can be recharged by connecting a plug to an electric power source. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (889x630, 149 KB) Summary 1960 Henney Kilowatt Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (889x630, 149 KB) Summary 1960 Henney Kilowatt Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
This article belongs in one or more categories. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2816x2112, 2539 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Automobile Tesla Roadster Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2816x2112, 2539 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Automobile Tesla Roadster Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used...
The Tesla Roadster is a fully electric sports car, and is the first car produced by electric car firm Tesla Motors. ...
The Toyota RAV4 EV was powered by twenty-four 12 volt batteries, with an operational cost equivalent of over 165 miles per gallon at 2005 US gasoline prices. ...
Hiram Percy Maxim, Sr. ...
This article is about the engine piece. ...
For electric vehicles other than battery powered passenger automobiles, see electric vehicle. ...
A semiconductor is a solid material that has electrical conductivity in between that of a conductor and that of an insulator; it can vary over that wide range either permanently or dynamically. ...
For other senses of this word, see torque (disambiguation). ...
The Venturi Fétish is the worlds first production two-seater electric sports car. ...
Miles per hour is a unit of speed, expressing the number of international miles covered per hour. ...
Kilometre per hour (American spelling: kilometer per hour) is a unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector). ...
“Miles†redirects here. ...
EPA redirects here. ...
Miles per gallon (MPG, or mpg) is a measure of fuel efficiency - the number of miles the car can run on one gallon of fuel. ...
Fuel efficiency sometimes means the same as thermal efficiency, that is, the efficiency of converting energy contained in a carrier fuel to kinetic energy or work. ...
Imperial MPG are Miles per gallon where the gallon is an imperial unit. ...
Steam -
Steam power, usually using an oil or gas heated boiler, was also in use until the 1930s but had the major disadvantage of being unable to power the car until boiler pressure was available. It has the advantage of being able to produce very low emissions as the combustion process can be carefully controlled. Its disadvantages include poor heat efficiency and extensive requirements for electric auxiliaries.[21] The 1923 Stanley Steam Car A steam car is a car (automobile) powered by a steam engine. ...
Gas turbine In the 1950s there was a brief interest in using gas turbine (jet) engines and several makers including Rover and Chrysler produced prototypes. In spite of the power units being very compact, high fuel consumption, severe delay in throttle response, and lack of engine braking meant no cars reached production. This machine has a single-stage centrifugal compressor and turbine, a recuperator, and foil bearings. ...
// Rover was a British automobile manufacturer and later a marque based at the former Austin Longbridge plant in Birmingham. ...
For other uses, including the Chrysler Brand, see Chrysler (disambiguation). ...
Rotary (Wankel) engines Rotary Wankel engines were introduced into road cars by NSU with the Ro 80 and later were seen in the Citroën GS Birotor and several Mazda models. In spite of their impressive smoothness, poor reliability and fuel economy led to them largely disappearing. Mazda, beginning with the R100 then RX-2, has continued research on these engines, overcoming most of the earlier problems with the RX-7 and RX-8. Wankel Engine in Deutsches Museum Munich, Germany The Wankel rotary engine is a type of internal combustion engine, invented by German engineer Felix Wankel, which uses a rotor instead of reciprocating pistons. ...
Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...
NSU Ro 80 The NSU Ro 80 was a technologically advanced large sedan-type automobile produced by the German firm of NSU from 1967 until 1977. ...
1970s GS Service Van The Citroën GS/GSA is a small family car produced by the French automaker Citroën between 1970 and 1986. ...
This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...
The Mazda R100 used the chassis from the Familia and the rotary 0820 engine similar to the one used in the Cosmo Sport Series II. It was a 2 door 2+2 coupe and was produced from 1968 to 1973. ...
The Mazda RX-2 was a midsize car introduced in 1970 and sold through 1978. ...
The Mazda RX-7 (also called the Ẽfini RX-7) is a sports car produced by the Japanese automaker Mazda from 1978 to 2002. ...
The Mazda RX-8 is a sports car manufactured by Mazda Motor Corporation. ...
Rocket and jet cars A rocket car holds the record in drag racing. However, the fastest of those cars are used to set the Land Speed Record, and are propelled by propulsive jets emitted from rocket, turbojet, or more recently and most successfully turbofan engines. The ThrustSSC car using two Rolls-Royce Spey turbofans with reheat was able to exceed the speed of sound at ground level in 1997. A rocket car is a land vehicle powered by a rocket engine. ...
Top Fuel dragster Drag racing is a sport in which cars race down a track with a set distance as fast as possible. ...
Ralph DePalma in his Packard 905 Special at Daytona Beach in 1919, courtesy Florida Photographic Collection For the album Land Speed Record by the band Hüsker Dü, see Land Speed Record (album). ...
This article is about vehicles powered by rocket engines. ...
Turbojets are the simplest and oldest kind of general purpose jet engines. ...
Schematic diagram of high-bypass turbofan engine CFM56-3 turbofan, lower half, side view. ...
ThrustSSC at Black Rock Desert, Nevada, USA. The ThrustSSC is built with highly protected aluminium wheels The team with ThrustSSC. ThrustSSC (SuperSonic Car) is a British designed and built jet propelled car developed by Richard Noble and Ron Ayers, which holds the world land speed record. ...
The Spey is a low-bypass turbofan engine from Rolls-Royce that has been in widespread service for over 30 years. ...
For other uses of afterburner, see Afterburner (disambiguation). ...
This page is about the physical speed of sound waves in a medium. ...
For the band, see 1997 (band). ...
Safety -
Road traffic injuries represent about 25% of worldwide injury-related deaths (the leading cause) with an estimated 1.2 million deaths (2004) each year.[22] Car safety is the avoidance of car accidents or the minimization of harmful effects of accidents, in particular as pertaining to human life and health. ...
A car accident in Yate, near Bristol, England, in July 2004. ...
Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...
A car accident in Yate, near Bristol, England, in July 2004. ...
Automobile accidents are almost as old as automobiles themselves. Early examples include Mary Ward, who became one of the first documented automobile fatalities in 1869 in Parsonstown, Ireland,[23] and Henry Bliss, one of the United State's first pedestrian automobile casualties in 1899 in New York.[24] A car accident in Yate, near Bristol, England, in July 2004. ...
Scientist Mary Ward Mary Ward (b. ...
WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53. ...
Henry Bliss in 1873 Whilst Mary Ward was one of the first people in the world to be killed in an automobile accident (on August 31, 1869), Henry Hale Bliss (1831?-September 14, 1899) was the first person killed in such an accident in the United States. ...
For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ...
Look up Pedestrian in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the United States, the most densely populated major city in North America, and is at the center of international finance, politics, entertainment, and culture. ...
Cars have many basic safety problems - for example, they have human drivers who can make mistakes, wheels that can lose traction when braking, turning or acceleration forces are too high, and mechanical systems subject to failure. Collisions can have very serious or fatal consequences. Some vehicles have a high center of gravity and therefore an increased tendency to roll over. This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ...
Early safety research focused on increasing the reliability of brakes and reducing the flammability of fuel systems. For example, modern engine compartments are open at the bottom so that fuel vapors, which are heavier than air, vent to the open air. Brakes are hydraulic and dual circuit so that a total braking failure is very rare. Systematic research on crash safety started[citation needed] in 1958 at Ford Motor Company. Since then, most research has focused on absorbing external crash energy with crushable panels and reducing the motion of human bodies in the passenger compartment. This is reflected in most cars produced today. “Ford†redirects here. ...
Significant reductions in death and injury have come from the addition of Safety belts and laws in many countries to require vehicle occupants to wear them. Airbags and specialised child restraint systems have improved on that. Structural changes such as side-impact protection bars in the doors and side panels of the car mitigate the effect of impacts to the side of the vehicle. Many cars now include radar or sonar detectors mounted to the rear of the car to warn the driver if he or she is about to reverse into an obstacle or a pedestrian. Some vehicle manufacturers are producing cars with devices that also measure the proximity to obstacles and other vehicles in front of the car and are using these to apply the brakes when a collision is inevitable. There have also been limited efforts to use heads up displays and thermal imaging technologies similar to those used in military aircraft to provide the driver with a better view of the road at night. Image File history File links Airbag_system. ...
Image File history File links Airbag_system. ...
An airbag is a flexible membrane or envelope, inflatable to contain air or some other gas. ...
Passive safety redirects here. ...
A three-point seat belt. ...
An airbag is a flexible membrane or envelope, inflatable to contain air or some other gas. ...
For other meanings of Hud, see this article A Rafale fighter of the FS Charles de Gaulle, seen through the HUD of another Rafale. ...
Thermography can refer to a printing process and a imaging process. ...
There are standard tests for safety in new automobiles, like the EuroNCAP and the US NCAP tests.[25] There are also tests run by organizations such as IIHS and backed by the insurance industry.[26] EuroNCAP, the European New Car Assessment Programme, is a safety assessment programme for automobiles supported by several European governments, many major manufacturers and motoring organisations across the world. ...
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is a U.S. non-profit organization funded by auto insurers. ...
Despite technological advances, there is still significant loss of life from car accidents: About 40,000 people die every year in the United States, with similar figures in European nations. This figure increases annually in step with rising population and increasing travel if no measures are taken, but the rate per capita and per mile traveled decreases steadily. The death toll is expected to nearly double worldwide by 2020. A much higher number of accidents result in injury or permanent disability. The highest accident figures are reported in China and India. The European Union has a rigid program to cut the death toll in half by 2010, and member states have started implementing measures. For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ...
Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning for each head. ...
Look up disability in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
Automated control has been seriously proposed and successfully prototyped. Shoulder-belted passengers could tolerate a 32 g emergency stop (reducing the safe inter-vehicle gap 64-fold) if high-speed roads incorporated a steel rail for emergency braking. Both safety modifications of the roadway are thought to be too expensive by most funding authorities, although these modifications could dramatically increase the number of vehicles able to safely use a high-speed highway. This makes clear the often-ignored fact road design and traffic control also play a part in car wrecks; unclear traffic signs, inadequate signal light placing, and poor planning (curved bridge approaches which become icy in winter, for example), also contribute. An automated highway system (AHS) or Smart Roads, is an advanced Intelligent transportation system technology designed to provide for driverless cars on specific rights-of-way. ...
The term g force or gee force refers to the symbol g, the force of acceleration due to gravity at the earths surface. ...
For other uses, see Highway (disambiguation). ...
Road traffic control involves directing vehicular and pedestrian traffic around a construction zone, accident or other road disruption, thus ensuring the safety of emergency response teams, construction workers and the general public. ...
Economics and impacts | | The neutrality of this section is disputed.
Please see the discussion on the talk page.
This section has been tagged since December 2007. | Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ...
Cost and benefits of ownership -
The costs of automobile ownership, which may include the cost of: acquiring the vehicle, repairs, maintenance, fuel, depreciation, parking fees, tire replacement, taxes and insurance,< |
