NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Passenger cars

An automobile (also motor car or simply car) is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own 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. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 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. ... The force bearing on the axle has an eccentricity e with the point of contact to the rolling surface and exerts a moment about the contact point. ... 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. ... The Trikke is a Human Powered Vehicle (HPV) This article is about the means of transport. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Internal combustion engine. ...

As of 2002, there were 590 million passenger cars worldwide (roughly one car for every eleven people).^[2]

History

Some sources suggest Ferdinand Verbiest, whilst a member of a Jesuit mission in China, may have built the first steam powered car around 1672.^[3]^[4] François Isaac de Rivaz, a Swiss inventor, designed the first internal combustion engine 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] 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. ... 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. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... 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... FranÃ§ois Isaac de Rivaz (Paris, December 19, 1752 â€“ Sion, July 30, 1828) was a Swiss inventor. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... General Name, Symbol, Number hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1, 1, s Appearance colorless Atomic mass 1. ... General Name, Symbol, Number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series nonmetals, chalcogens Group, Period, Block 16, 2, p Appearance colorless (gas) very pale blue (liquid) Standard atomic weight 15. ... Samuel Brown is an English engineer who developed an internal combustion engine. ... Samuel Morey (October 23, 1762 - April 17, 1843), American inventor, invented the 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. ...

An automobile powered by an Otto gasoline engine was built in Germany by Karl Benz in 1885 and granted a patent in the following year. Although several other engineers (including Gottlieb Daimler, Wilhelm Maybach and Siegfried Marcus) were working on the problem at about the same time, Benz is generally credited with the invention of the modern automobile.^[5] Today Internal combustion engines in cars, trucks, motorcycles, construction machinery and many others, most commonly use a four-stroke cycle. ... Karl Benz Karl Friedrich Benz (November 25, 1844 â€“ April 4, 1929) was a German engine designer and automobile engineer, generally regarded as the inventor of the gasoline-powered automobile. ... Gottlieb Daimler Gottlieb Wilhelm Daimler (March 17, 1834 - March 6, 1900) was an engineer, industrial designer and industrialist, born in Schorndorf (Kingdom of WÃ¼rttemberg) what is now Germany. ... Wilhelm Maybach Wilhelm Maybach (February 9, 1846 â€“ 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 â€“ Austrian inventor and automobile pioneer of Jewish ancestry. ...

Approximately 25 of Benz's vehicles were built 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. From 1890 to 1895 about 30 vehicles were built by Daimler and his assistant, 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.

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.^[6] 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^[7] followed by Frederick William Lanchester in 1895 but these were both one-offs.^[7] The first production vehicles came from the Daimler Motor Company, founded by Harry J. Lawson in 1896, and making their first cars in 1897.^[7] Armand Peugeot (1849-1915) 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. ... Nickname: Motto: Rochester: Made for Living Location of Rochester in New York State Country United States State New York County Monroe Government - Mayor Robert Duffy Area - City 37. ... 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. ... Daimler has, since 1896, been the motor car marque of the British Daimler Motor Company, based in Coventry. ... Harry John Lawson was a British engineer and motor industry pioneer. ...

In 1892, 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 hinderd 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. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... 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. ...

The large-scale, production-line manufacturing of affordable automobiles was debuted by Ransom Olds at his Oldsmobile factory in 1902. This assembly line concept was then greatly expanded by Henry Ford in the 1910s. 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. Image File history File links Olds2. ... Image File history File links Olds2. ... Ransom E. Olds Ransom Eli Olds (June 3, 1864â€“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 was a brand of automobile produced for most of its existence by General Motors. ... Henry Ford (1919) Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 â€“ April 7, 1947) was the founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of modern assembly lines used in mass production. ... 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 â€“ 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. ...

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 use of the term in optics, see piston (optics). ... 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. ...

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. The makes shared parts with one another so larger production volume resulted in lower costs for each price range. For example, in the 1950s, Chevrolet shared hood, doors, roof, and windows with Pontiac; the LaSalle of the 1930s, sold by Cadillac, used cheaper mechanical parts made by the Oldsmobile division. Cover of Time Magazine (December 27, 1926) Alfred Pritchard Sloan, Jr. ... Chevrolet (IPA: ÊƒÉ›v. ... Pontiac is a marque of automobile produced by General Motors and sold in the United States, Canada and Mexico from 1926 to the present. ... Cadillac is a brand of luxury vehicles, part of General Motors, produced and mostly sold in the United States and Canada. ... Oldsmobile was a brand of automobile produced for most of its existence by General Motors. ...

Design

The design of modern cars is typically handled by a large team of designers and engineers from many different disciplines. As part of the product development effort the team of designers will work closely with teams of design engineers responsible for all aspects of the vehicle. These engineering teams include: chassis, body and trim, powertrain, electrical and production. The design team under the leadership of the design director will typically comprise of an exterior designer, an interior designer (usually referred to as stylists), and a color and materials designer. A few other designers will be involved in detail design of both exterior and interior. For example, a designer might be tasked with designing the rear light clusters or the steering wheel. The color and materials designer will work closely with the exterior and interior designers in developing exterior color paints, interior colors, fabrics, leathers, carpet, wood trim, and so on. Designers at work in 1961. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 669 KB) Description: A 1975 CitroÃ«n D Super DS FD photographed by myself at Prins Bertil Memorial in Stockholm, Sweden. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 669 KB) Description: A 1975 CitroÃ«n D Super DS FD photographed by myself at Prins Bertil Memorial in Stockholm, Sweden. ... 1974 CitroÃ«n DS23 Pallas Directional headlight detail of a CitroÃ«n DS21 Swedish-spec CitroÃ«n DS with headlight wipers CitroÃ«n DS Break - also known as the Safari, Familiale, or Wagon 1966 CitroÃ«n DS Convertible Turn indicators were mounted in the upper corners of the rear window... A trim package is a set of cosmetic (mostly non-functional) embellishments to a vehicle. ...

In 1924 the American national automobile market began reaching saturation. To maintain unit sales, General Motors instituted annual model-year design changes (also credited to Alfred Sloan) in order to convince car owners they needed a replacement each year. Since 1935 automotive form has been driven more by consumer expectations than engineering improvement.

There have been many efforts to innovate automobile design funded by the NHTSA, including the work of the NavLab group at Carnegie Mellon University.^[8] Recent efforts include the highly publicized DARPA Grand Challenge race.^[9] The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA, often pronounced nit-suh) is a U.S. Government agency, part of the Department of Transportation, responsible for setting safety standards and verifying compliance by automobile manufacturers. ... 2007 Urban Challenge The DARPA Grand Challenge is a prize competition for driverless cars, sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the central research organization of the United States Department of Defense. ...

Acceleration, braking, and measures of turning or agility vary widely between different makes and models of automobile. The automotive publication industry has developed around these performance measures as a way to quantify and qualify the characteristics of a particular vehicle. See quarter mile and 0 to 60 mph. Acceleration is the time rate of change of velocity, and at any point on a velocity-time graph, it is given by the slope of the tangent to that point basicly. ... For the type of ferns known as brakes, see brake (fern). ... Agility is the quality of being quick-moving and nimble. ... The Quarter Mile (402 meters, 440 yards, or 1,320 feet) is a distance generally used for racing two objects, and it an excellent way to compare the speed and acceleration of two objects. ...

Fuel and propulsion technologies

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.^[10] Increasing costs of oil-based fuels and tightening environmental laws and restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions are propelling work on alternative power systems for automobiles. Efforts to improve or replace these technologies include hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles and hydrogen vehicles. 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 the first fully electric automobile to be produced by electric car firm Tesla Motors. ... Alternative Fuel Vehicle refers to a vehicle that run on a fuel other than traditional gasoline or diesel; any method of powering an engine that does not involve petroleum. ... Gasoline or petrol is a petroleum-derived liquid mixture consisting mostly of hydrocarbons and enhanced with benzene or iso-octane to increase octane ratings, used as fuel in internal combustion engines. ... Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel (1858-1913), inventor of the diesel engine. ... Air Pollution is a chemical, physical (e. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400,000 years For current global climate change, see Global warming. ... Global mean surface temperatures 1850 to 2006 Mean surface temperature anomalies during the period 1995 to 2004 with respect to the average temperatures from 1940 to 1980 Global warming is the observed increase in the average temperature of the Earths atmosphere and oceans in recent decades and the projected... Lady Justice or Justitia is a personification of the moral force that underlies the legal system (particularly in Western art). ... Top: Increasing atmospheric CO2 levels as measured in the atmosphere and ice cores. ... A hybrid vehicle (HV) is a vehicle that uses two or more distinct power or fuel sources such as: An on-board rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) and a fueled power source for vehicle propulsion Human powered bicycle with battery assist A sail boat with electric power[1] The term... A streetcar drawing current from a single overhead wire, returning current through the rails and ground An electric locomotive, taking power through a pantograph An electric vehicle, or EV, is a vehicle with one or more electric motors for propulsion. ... Sequel, a fuel cell powered vehicle from General Motors A Hydrogen vehicle is a vehicle, such as an automobile, aircraft, or any other kind of vehicle that uses hydrogen as its primary source of power for locomotion. ...

Diesel

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 Diesels are a 50% fuel burn efficiency compared with 27%^[11] 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. Mercedes-Benz (sometimes shortened to just Mercedes, Benz or Merc) is a German brand name of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks owned by DaimlerChrysler AG. The Daimler-Benz company originated on June 28, 1926 when two companies, Benz & Cie. ... Citro n is a French automobile manufacturer started in 1919 by Andr Citro n. ... Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel (1858-1913), inventor of the diesel engine. ... In some countries, filling stations sell bio-diesel more cheaply than conventional diesel. ...

Gasoline

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.^[11] 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. or GDi is a variant of fuel injection employed in modern two-stroke 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. ...

Electric

The first electric cars were built in the late 1800s, but the building of battery powered vehicles that could rival internal combustion models had to wait for the introduction of modern semiconductor controls. 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 are able to accelerate from 0-60 mph (96 km/hour) in 4.0 seconds with a top speed around 130 mph (210 km/h). They have a range of 250 miles (400 km) on the EPA highway cycle requiring 3-1/2 hours to completely charge. Equivalent fuel efficiency to internal combustion is not well defined but some press reports give it at around 135 mpg. An electric vehicle is a vehicle that is propelled by electric motors. ... Four double-A (AA) rechargeable cells A Duracell AA alkaline cell In science and technology, a galvanic cell is an electrochemical cell that stores chemical energy and makes it available in an electrical form, and a battery is a string of two or more cells in series. ... A semiconductor is a solid whose electrical conductivity is in between that of a metal and that of an insulator, and can be controlled over a wide range, either permanently or dynamically. ... Torque applied via an adjustable end wrench Relationship between force, torque, and momentum vectors in a rotating system In physics, torque (or often called a moment) can informally be thought of as rotational force or angular force which causes a change in rotational motion. ... Miles per hour is a unit of speed, expressing the number of international miles covered per hour. ... KM, Km, or km may stand for: Khmer language (ISO 639 alpha-2, km) Kilometre Kinemantra Meditation Knowledge management KM programming language KM Culture, Korean Movie Maker. ... A mile is a unit of length, usually used to measure distance, in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, United States customary units and Norwegian/Swedish mil. ... EPA redirects here. ...

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.^[12]

Gas turbine

In the 1950s there was a brief interest in using gas turbine (jet) engines and several makers including Rover 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 Longbridge plant in Birmingham. ...

Rotary (Wankel) engines

Rotary Wankel engines were introduced into road cars by NSU with the Ro 80 and later were seen in several Mazda models. In spite of their impressive smoothness, poor reliability and fuel economy led to them largely disappearing. Mazda, however, has continued research on these engines and overcame most of the earlier problems. 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. ... 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. ...

Future developments

Much current research and development is centered on hybrid vehicles that use both electric power and internal combustion. Research into alternative forms of power also focus on developing fuel cells, Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI), stirling engines^[13] and even using the stored energy of compressed air or liquid nitrogen. A Toyota Prius, one example of a hybrid electric vehicle. ... A fuel cell is an electrochemical device similar to a battery, but differing from the latter in that it is designed for continuous replenishment of the reactants consumed; i. ... Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition, or HCCI, is a form of internal combustion in which well mixed fuel and oxidizer (typically air) are compressed to the point of auto-ignition. ... Cut away diagram of a Rhombic Drive Beta Stirling Engine Design Pink - Hot cylinder wall, Dark grey - Cold cylinder wall (with coolant inlet and outlet pipes in Yellow), Dark Green - Thermal insulation separating the two cylinder ends, Light Green - Displacer piston, Dark Blue - Power piston, Light Blue - Flywheels, Not Shown... A liquid nitrogen (LN2) economy is a hypothetical proposal for a future economy in which the primary form of energy storage and transport is liquid nitrogen. ...

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.^[14] 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 document automobile fatalities in 1869 in Parsonstown, Ireland,^[15] and Henry Bliss, one of the United State's first pedestrian automobile casualties in 1899 in New York.^[16] 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. ... 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 make mistakes, wheels that lose traction when the braking or turning forces are too high. Some vehicles have a high center of gravity and therefore an increased tendency to roll over. When driven at high speeds, collisions can have serious or even fatal consequence. 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 failures are slow leaks, rather than abrupt cable breaks. 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 Motor Company is an American multinational corporation and the worlds third largest automaker after Toyota and General Motors, based on worldwide vehicle sales. ...

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. ... Automobile are not safe is the avoidance of automobile accidents or the minimization of harmful effects of accidents, in particular as pertaining to human life and health. ... 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.^[17] There are also tests run by organizations such as IIHS and backed by the insurance industry.^[18] 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. World map showing the location of Europe. ... 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. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Construction site safety. ...

Economics and Impacts

Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ... 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). ... It has been suggested that Toyota Australia be merged into this article or section. ...

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,^[19] are weighed against the cost of the alternatives, and the value of the benefits - perceived and real - of vehicle ownership. The benefits may include personal freedom, mobility, independence and convenience.^[20] One of the costs of vehicle ownership. ... Repair and Maintenance is fixing any sort of mechanical or electrical device should it get out of order or broken (repair) as well as performing the routine actions which keep the device in working order (maintenance) or prevent trouble from arising (preventive maintenance). ... A vehicle breakdown is a mechanical failure. ... Fuel is any material that is capable of releasing energy when its chemical or physical structure is changed or converted. ... Declining-balance depreciation of a $50,000 asset with $6,500 salvage value over 20 years. ... Underground parking garage at the University of Minnesota. ... Pneumatic tires or tyres (see spelling differences) are used on all types of vehicles, from cars to earthmovers to airplanes. ... A tax is a financial charge or other levy imposed on an individual or a legal entity by a state or a functional equivalent of a state (for example, tribes, secessionist movements or revolutionary movements). ... Insurance, in law and economics, is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent loss. ...

Cost and benefits to society

Similarly the costs to society of encompassing automobile use, which may include those of: maintaining roads, pollution, public health, health care, and of disposing of the vehicle at the end of its life, can be balanced against the value of the benefits to society that automobile use generates. The societal benefits may include: economy benefits, such as job and wealth creation, of automobile production and maintenance, transportation provision, society wellbeing derived from leisure and travel opportunities, and revenue generation from the tax opportunities. The ability for humans to move rapidly from place to place has far reaching implications for the nature of our society. People can now live far from their workplaces, the design of our cities is determined as much by the need to get vehicles into and out of the city as the nature of the buildings and public spaces within the city.^[21] Over the course of the 20th century, the automobile rapidly developed from an expensive toy for the rich into the de facto standard for passenger transport[1]. The development of the automobile built upon the transport revolution started by railways, and like the railways, introduced sweeping changes in infrastructure, manufacturing... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... It has been suggested that Pollutant be merged into this article or section. ... Public health is concerned with threats to the overall health of a community based on population health analysis. ... Health care or healthcare is the prevention, treatment, and management of illness and the preservation of mental and physical well-being through the services offered by the medical, nursing, and allied health professions. ...

Impacts on society

Transportation is a major contributor to air pollution in the United States, according to the Surface Transportation Policy Project, and nearly half of all Americans are breathing unhealthy air. Their study showed air quality in dozens of metropolitan areas has got worse over the last decade.^[22] In the United States the average passenger car emits 11,450 lbs (5 tonnes) of carbon dioxide, along with smaller amounts of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen.^[23] Residents of low-density, residential-only sprawling communities are also more likely to die in car collisions, which kill 1.2 million people worldwide each year, and injure about forty times this number.^[24] Sprawl is more broadly a factor in inactivity and obesity, which in turn can lead to increased risk of a variety of diseases.^[25] A tonne or metric ton (symbol t), sometimes referred to as a metric tonne, is a measurement of mass equal to 1,000 kilograms. ...

Improving the positive and reducing the negative impacts

Fuel taxes may act as an incentive for the production of more efficient, hence less polluting, car designs (e.g. hybrid vehicles) and the development of alternative fuels. High fuel taxes may provide a strong incentive for consumers to purchase lighter, smaller, more fuel-efficient cars, or to not drive. On average, today's automobiles are about 75 percent recyclable, and using recycled steel helps reduce energy use and pollution.^[26] In the United States Congress, federally mandated fuel efficiency standards have been debated regularly, passenger car standards have not risen above the 27.5 miles per gallon standard set in 1985. Light truck standards have changed more frequently, and were set at 22.2 miles per gallon in 2007.^[27] Alternative fuel vehicles are another option that is less polluting than conventional petroleum powered vehicles. A fuel tax (also known as a petrol tax, gasoline tax, gas tax or fuel duty) is a sales tax imposed on the sale of fuel. ... See: Hybrid Vehicle ... mAx IS THE COOLEST PERSON THAT EVER LIVED!!!!!!!!!!! (1990-<still alive>) ... The gallon is a unit of volume used for measuring liquids (as well as dry matter). ... Alternative fuel refers to methods of powering an engine that do not involve petroleum (oil). ... It has been suggested that Pollutant be merged into this article or section. ... Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Lubbock, Texas Ignacy Åukasiewicz - inventor of the refining of kerosene from crude oil. ...

Future car technologies

Automobile propulsion technologies under development include hybrid cars, battery electric vehicles, hydrogen cars, and various alternative fuels. New materials which may replace steel car bodies include duraluminum, fiberglass, carbon fiber, and carbon nanotubes. Future car technologies include new energy sources and materials, which are being developed in order to make automobiles more sustainable, safer, more energy efficient, or less polluting. ... Honda Insight, a hybrid gas-electric vehicle 2004 Toyota Prius, a hybrid gas-electric vehicle A hybrid vehicle uses multiple energy sources or propulsion systems to provide motive power. ... 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. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Hydrogen vehicle. ... mAx IS THE COOLEST PERSON THAT EVER LIVED!!!!!!!!!!! (1990-<still alive>) ... Duralumin (or duraluminum) is an alloy of aluminium (about 95%), copper (about 4%), and small amounts of magnesium (0. ... Bundle of fiberglass Fiberglass or glassfibre is material made from extremely fine fibers of glass. ... Carbon fiber composite is a strong, light and very expensive material. ... 3D model of three types of single-walled carbon nanotubes. ...

Alternatives to the automobile

Established alternatives for some aspects of automobile use include public transit (buses, trolleybuses, trains, subways, monorails, tramways), cycling, walking, rollerblading and skateboarding. Car-share arrangements are also increasingly popular – the U.S. market leader has experienced double-digit growth in revenue and membership growth between 2006 and 2007, offering a service that enables urban residents to "share" a vehicle rather than own a car in already congested neighborhoods.^[28] Bike-share systems have been tried in some European cities, including Copenhagen and Amsterdam. Similar programs have been experimented with in a number of U.S. Cities.^[29] Additional individual modes of transport, such as personal rapid transit could serve as an alternative to automobiles if they prove to be socially accepted.^[30] Established alternatives for some aspects of automobile use include public transit (buses, trolleybuses, trains, subways, monorails, tramways), cycling, walking, rollerblading and skateboarding. ... A taxi serving as a bus Public transport comprises all transport systems in which the passengers do not travel in their own vehicles. ... A Go North East bus parked in a lay-by in Tyne and Wear, England. ... Å koda 14 Tr trolleybus in Vilnius, Lithuania. ... An SP freight train west of Chicago in 1992. ... A rapid transit, underground, subway, tube, elevated, or metro(politan) system is a railwayâ€”usually in an urban areaâ€”with a high capacity and frequency of service, and grade separation from other traffic. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... A tram system, tramway, or street railway is a railway on which trams (streetcars, trolleys) run. ... Police officer on a bicycle Cycling is a recreation, a sport and a means of transport across land. ... An animated demonstration of a six-legged insect walking. ... Roller skating girl in Rome, Italy (soul grind) Roller skating is travelling on smooth terrain with roller skates. ... A skateboarder performing a frontside lipslide Skateboarding is the act of rolling on or performing tricks with a skateboard. ... Carsharing is a system where a fleet of cars (or other vehicles) is owned and operated/overseen by a company, public agency, cooperative, ad hoc grouping, or even a single individual, and made available for use by members of the carshare group in a wide variety of ways. ... White bicycles for free use, in Hoge Veluwe national park, the Netherlands Community bicycle programs (also known as Yellow bicycle programs or White bicycle programs) are one variation on an international movement to provide environmentally friendly transportation options to citizens. ... Artists rendering of SkyTran, a proposed PRT design. ...

Further reading

Cars can come in a large variety of different body styles. ... It has been suggested that Vehicle size class be merged into this article or section. ... 2 plus 2 (2+2) The term 2 plus 2 (or 2+2) is a semi-slang phrase used to describe a car with seating for two passengers up front, plus two for occasional passengers in the rear. ... An antique car is generally defined as a car over 25 years of age, this being the definition used by the Antique Automobile Club of America and many other organisations worldwide. ... A CitroÃ«n 2CV with the roof up. ... Original meaning A cabriolet was a light, two-wheeled horse-drawn carriage with a folding calash top, seating two persons behind the drivers box. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Urban car. ... Ford Model A Four-door 1948 Buick Eight convertible 1959 Chevrolet Impala A yank tank or maquina in Havana, Cuba Another yank tank in Havana Classic car is a term frequently used to describe an older car, but the exact meaning is subject to differences in opinion. ... The Rambler American introduced in the late 1950s was an early compact car. ... Alfa Romeo 159, a compact executive car mainly sold in Europe Infiniti G35, an entry-level luxury car for sale in North America and Japan Compact executive car (British English, Mittelklasse in German) or entry-level luxury car (American English) is a car classification which respectively describes large family cars... Renault MÃ©gane ScÃ©nic, the first car to be marketed as a compact MPV Opel Zafira, a seven-seater compact MPV A compact MPV is a car classification used in Europe to describe multi-purpose vehicle versions of small family cars (sometimes also referred to as compact cars), fitting... Subaru Forester, one of the first vehicles to be named a compact SUV Suzuki Grand Vitara, a modern compact SUV Compact SUV is a class of small sport utility vehicles with a length between 4. ... Saab 900 Convertible 1962 Rambler American Convertible can also refer to a convertible (security) A convertible (sometimes called cabriolet in British English) is a car body style with a folding or retracting roof (aka soft top or top in USA, hood in UK). ... The Peugeot 406 CoupÃ©, designed by Pininfarina 1990 Mercedes-Benz 560SEC coupÃ©, noted for its large, angular design 1980s Volvo 480 two-box coupÃ© 1997 Rover Vitesse Coupe, club coupe Mercedes CLS, a modern four-door coupÃ© Gala-CoupÃ© of Leopold II, Brussels 1970s Sunbeam Alpine fastback coupÃ© A coup... The coupÃ© convertible (in French coupÃ© cabriolet) or retractable hardtop (more common US usage) is an evolution of car body style that involves the flexibility of a mobile roof (from the convertible) and of the rigid roof of a coupÃ©. In the first years of the 2000s, car manufacturers started... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Pickup. ... A crossover SUV (also called CUV for Crossover Utility Vehicle) or XUV (not to be confused with GMCs Envoy XUV) is an automobile with a sport utility vehicle appearance but is built upon a more economical and fuel-efficient unibody construction. ... A custom Ford Taunus. ... Saab 900 Convertible Convertible can also refer to a convertible (security) A convertible is an automobile with a folding or retracting roof. ... Executive car is a British term used generally to describe an automobile larger than a large family car, but which is not a high-end or ultra luxury car, a multi-purpose vehicle or a sport utility vehicle. ... This 1968 Ford Mustang has a fastback body style. ... 2001 BMW 750iL A full-size car is a term used in North America for an automobile larger than a mid-size car, usually having a wheelbase greater than 2. ... A grand tourer (Italian: Gran Turismo), (initialised GT), is a high-performance automobile designed for long-distance driving. ... A hardtop is a term for a rigid, rather than canvas, automobile roof. ... Peugeot 306 hatchback, with the hatch lifted and the parcel shelf tilted for access Not a hatchback: a fastback shape like this 2004 Bentley Continental GT can be confused with a true hatchback Hatchback is a term describing an automobile design, consisting of a passenger cabin with an integrated cargo... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Sport compact. ... T-Bucket hot rod Hot rods are older, often historical, cars. ... A Ford Focus, classed as a small family car. ... A leisure activity vehicle is a small van, generally related to a supermini, with a second or even a third seat row, and a large, tall boot. ... A hatchback is a type of automobile design, consisting of a passenger cabin which includes an integrated cargo space, accessed from behind by a hatch or flip-up window. ... Look up limousine in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A luxury car is a relatively expensive car. ... A Messerschmitt KR200. ... A mid-size car, frequently referred to as an intermediate, is an automobile with a size between that of a compact and a full-size or standard-size car. ... A modern minivan - 2004 Chrysler Town & Country Typical early minivan (a Dodge Caravan) A minivan, minibus, people carrier, multi utility vehicle (MUV), or multi purpose vehicle (MPV) is a type of vehicle which has a body that resembles a van, but which has rear side doors, rear side windows, and... Mini SUV is a class of small sport utility vehicles which are more or less under 4,15 m long. ... Lloyd LT 600, a vintage minivan 05 Mercury Monterey minivan Buick GL8, sold exclusively in China A minivan, multi-purpose vehicle, people-carrier, people-mover or multi-utility vehicle is a type of automobile similar in shape to a van that is designed for personal use and has between four... An MPV or multi-purpose vehicle is a passenger-carrying vehicle based on a car platform, and is generally a one box designâ€”neither a distinct bonnet (US: hood) nor boot (US: trunk), but rather a maximised interior space. ... The Pontiac GTO is a classic example of the muscle car. ... Notchback is a form of automobile body that is characterized by a sharp vertical drop-off from roof to trunk, as opposed to hatchback or fastback. ... An Australian Ford panel van, based on a 1990 Ford Falcon. ... Ford Thunderbird A personal luxury car is a highly styled, luxurious automobile intended for the comfort and satisfaction of its owner/driver, sacrificing passenger space, cargo capacity, and other practical concerns for the sake of style. ... Mazda B-Series compact pickup truck with extended cabin and home-made wooden rack. ... 2003 Mercedes-Benz SL 500 A Retractable Hardtop (also known as a coupe convertible and coupe cabriolet) refers to a car with a movable roof for a convertible that is made of plastic or metal. ... 1923 Ford Model T roadster 1950 Jaguar XK120 roadster This article is about the roadster car body style. ... A Toyota Camry, a recognizable sedan The Ford Five Hundred, a full-sized sedan The 3-box design, indicative of a notchback sedan, as illustrated on a full-size luxury sedan. ... A Toyota Camry, a recognizable sedan The Ford Five Hundred, a full-sized sedan The 3-box design, indicative of a notchback sedan, as illustrated on a full-size luxury sedan. ... A Ford Focus, classed as a small family car. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Hot hatch. ... 1963 Jaguar E-Type, a classic sports car A sports car is an automobile designed for performance driving. ... A fourth-generation (2006-) Ford Explorer, the best-selling mid-size SUV in the United States A sport utility vehicle, or SUV, is a passenger vehicle which combines the towing capacity of a pickup truck with the passenger-carrying space of a minivan or station wagon. ... Spyder or Spider is a term for a convertible car body style. ... Estate car body style (Saab 95) A station wagon (United States usage), wagon (Australian usage, though station wagon is widely used) or estate car (United Kingdom usage) is a car body style similar to a sedan car but with an extended rear cargo area. ... Estate car body style (Saab 95) A station wagon (United States usage), wagon (Australian usage, though station wagon is widely used) or estate car (United Kingdom usage) is a car body style similar to a sedan car but with an extended rear cargo area. ... 1996 Volkswagen Polo, a popular modern European supermini A supermini is a European hatchback car category. ... Targa top body style Targa top, or targa for short, is a semi-convertible car body style with a removable roof section and a full width roll bar behind the seats. ... Taxicab, short forms taxi or cab, is a type of public transport for a single passenger, or small group of passengers, typically for a non-shared ride. ... Horatio Nelson Jackson in his 2-seat Winton touring car, The Vermont, drives across America A touring car was a popular car body style in the early 20th century, being a larger alternative to the runabout. ... ... Open sunroof in a Peugeot 206. ... Heavy Tow truck A tow truck (also called a wrecker, a breakdown truck or a breakdown lorry), is a vehicle used to take disabled motor vehicles off a roadway to another location in case of breakdown or collision, or to impound illegally parked vehicles on public or (more commonly) private... Mazda B-Series compact pickup truck with extended cabin and home-made wooden rack. ... A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people. ... Voiturettes are small three-wheeled cars produced in France, most notably in the years following World War II. Categories: Stub | Automobiles ... An amphibious vehicle is a vehicle or craft, that is a means of transport, viable on land as well as on water - just like an amphibian. ... The driverless car is an emerging family of technologies, ultimately aimed at a full taxi-like experience for car users, but without a driver. ... A gyrocar is a two-wheeled automobile. ... The Flying Car The Waterman Aerobile at the Smithsonian. ... Vehicle propulsion refers to the act of moving an artificial carrier of people or goods over a distance. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... A streetcar drawing current from a single overhead wire, returning current through the rails and ground An electric locomotive, taking power through a pantograph An electric vehicle, or EV, is a vehicle with one or more electric motors for propulsion. ... A Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV) is an American term for a speed limited battery electric vehicle (usually 25 miles per hour in the U.S.A.) restricted by law to operation on roads with speed limits not exceeding 35 MPH. Often such vehicles are not built from scratch but instead... A hybrid vehicle (HV) is a vehicle that uses two or more distinct power or fuel sources such as: An on-board rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) and a fueled power source for vehicle propulsion Human powered bicycle with battery assist A sail boat with electric power[1] The term... 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. ... Sequel, a fuel cell powered vehicle from General Motors A Hydrogen vehicle is a vehicle, such as an automobile, aircraft, or any other kind of vehicle that uses hydrogen as its primary source of power for locomotion. ... A fuel cell is an electrochemical device similar to a battery, but differing from the latter in that it is designed for continuous replenishment of the reactants consumed; i. ... The number of US survey respondents willing to pay $4,000 more for a plug-in hybrid car increased from 17% in 2005 to 26% in 2006. ... The 1923 Stanley Steam Car A steam car is a car powered by a steam engine. ... Alternative Fuel Cars refers to cars that run on Alternative fuel; any method of powering an engine that does not involve petroleum. ... In some countries, filling stations sell bio-diesel more cheaply than conventional diesel. ... E10 or E-10 may refer to multiple things, including: The Northrop Grumman E-10 MC2A military aircraft based on the Boeing 767-400ER airframe E10 fuel, a common gasohol mixture of 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline The European route E10 E10 is the ESRB symbol for Everyone 10+ This... Logo used in the United States for E85 fuel E85 is an alcohol fuel mixture that typically contains a mixture of up to 85% denatured fuel ethanol and gasoline or other hydrocarbon by volume. ... Autogas is the common name for liquified petroleum gas when it is used as a fuel in internal combustion engines in vehicles. ... Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition, or HCCI, is a form of internal combustion in which well mixed fuel and oxidizer (typically air) are compressed to the point of auto-ignition. ... A liquid nitrogen (LN2) economy is a hypothetical proposal for a future economy in which the primary form of energy storage and transport is liquid nitrogen. ... or GDi is a variant of fuel injection employed in modern two-stroke and four stroke petrol engines. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Drive wheel. ... Two wheel drive or 2WD are terms used to describe vehicles with a drivetrain that allows two wheels to receive power from the engine simultaneously. ... This article is missing citation of sources. ... Front-wheel drive is the most common form of engine/transmission layout used in modern passenger cars, where the engine drives the front wheels. ... Rear-wheel drive (or RWD for short) is an engine/transmission layout used in automobiles. ... Four wheel drive or 4x4, is a type of four wheeled vehicle drivetrain configuration that enables all four wheels to receive power from the engine simultaneously in order to provide maximum traction. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Automobile layout. ... In Automobile design, an FF, or Front-engine, Front wheel drive, layout places both the engine and drive wheels at the front of the vehicle. ... In Automobile design, an RR, or Rear-engine, Rear wheel drive, layout places both the engine and drive wheels at the rear of the vehicle. ... In Automobile design, an MR or Mid-engine, Rear wheel drive layout drives the rear wheels with an engine placed just in front of them, behind the passenger compartment. ... In automobile design layout is the place where both the engine and driven wheels are. ... In automobile design, an FF, or Front-engine, Front wheel drive, layout places both the engine and driven wheels at the front of the vehicle. ... In automobile design, an FR, or front-engine, rear wheel drive means a layout where the engine is in the front of the vehicle and drive wheels at the rear. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Mid-engine design . ... In automobile design, an MF or Mid-engine, Front wheel drive layout is one in which the front wheels are driven by an engine placed just behind them, in front of the passenger compartment. ... In Automobile design, an RR, or Rear-engine, Rear wheel drive, layout places both the engine and drive wheels at the rear of the vehicle. ... Engine configuration is an engineering term for the layout of the major components of an internal combustion engine. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The straight-6 (also inline 6, I-6, or I6) is an internal combustion engine with six cylinders aligned in a single row. ... A V engine is a common configuration for an internal combustion engine in which the pistons are aligned so that, if viewed along the line of the crankshaft, they appear to be in a V. Usually, two opposing pistons share one crank on the crankshaft. ... 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. ... Components of a typical, four stroke cycle, DOHC piston engine. ... An inline engine is an internal-combustion engine with cylinders aligned in one or several rows. ... The Boxer engine A flat engine is an internal combustion engine with its pistons parallel to the ground. ... Ford flathead V8 engine, modified for power, depicted on cover of Hot Rod magazine. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... 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. ... Today Internal combustion engines in cars, trucks, motorcycles, construction machinery and many others, most commonly use a four-stroke cycle. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Cam-in-block. ... Usually found in 4 and 6 cylinder configurations, the straight engine (often designed as inline engine) is an internal-combustion engine with all cylinders aligned in one row, with no or only minimal offset. ... An H engine (or H-block) is an engine configuration in which the cylinders are aligned so that if viewed from the front appear to be in a horizontal letter H. An H engine can be viewed as two flat engines, one atop the other. ... A turbodiesel is a name for a turbocharged Diesel engine. ... A hybrid vehicle (HV) is a vehicle that uses two or more distinct power or fuel sources such as: An on-board rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) and a fueled power source for vehicle propulsion Human powered bicycle with battery assist A sail boat with electric power[1] The term... A rechargeable energy storage system or RESS is a system that stores energy for delivery of electric energy and which is rechargeable. ... A streetcar drawing current from a single overhead wire, returning current through the rails and ground An electric locomotive, taking power through a pantograph An electric vehicle, or EV, is a vehicle with one or more electric motors for propulsion. ... Sequel, a fuel cell powered vehicle from General Motors A Hydrogen vehicle is a vehicle, such as an automobile, aircraft, or any other kind of vehicle that uses hydrogen as its primary source of power for locomotion. ... The body of a motor vehicle which is built around a chassis, rather than being of monocoque construction. ... In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the frame plus the running gear like engine, transmission, driveshaft, differential, and suspension. ... Body-on-frame is an automobile construction technology. ... A bumper is a part of a car designed to allow one vehicle to push another and to withstand the impact from collisions. ... A CitroÃ«n 2CV with the roof up. ... Look up Chassis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 1956 Nash four-door sedan with factory color matched Continental tire. ... Mercedes-Benz Fintail, an early example of a car with crumple zones The crumple zone on the front of these cars absorbed the impact of a head-on collision Activated rear crumple zone The crumple zone of a vehicle such as a train or an automobile is a structural feature... 1958 promotional image of the Cadillac Eldorado Brougham also illustrates its bumper/grille design, also known as Dagmar bumpers Television personality Dagmar in one of her famous low cut gowns Dagmar bumpers, also known simply as Dagmars (D-HAG-mar) is a slang term for the artillery shell shaped styling... A fender is a portion of an automobile body that frames a wheel well. ... 1962 Cadillac Series 62 with rear wheels covered by detachable Fender Skirts 1986 CitroÃ«n CX Fender skirts are pieces of bodywork that cover the upper portions of the rear tires of an automobile. ... BMWs distinctive kidney-shaped grille on an E34 M5 Audis single frame grille, here on a second generation TT Grille is also the name of a German self-propelled artillery vehicle. ... A flipfront provides easy access to the engine bay. ... A hood scoop is an air vent on a car hood which usually sends air over an intercooler. ... Monocoque (French for single shell) is a construction technique that uses the external skin of an object to support some or most of the load on the structure. ... An SUV with four pillars A pillarless hardtop vehicle, considered to have two total pillars A stretch limo with five pillars An A pillar is a name applied by car stylists and enthusiasts to the shaft of material that supports the windshield (windscreen) on either of the windshield frame sides. ... Pontoon fenders are a type of fender for an automobile. ... On an automobile, a quarter panel is a body panel that covers the section between the door and the hood (for the front quarter panels), or the door and the trunk (for the rear quarter panels). ... A shaker scoop (sometimes, inaccurately, called a shaker hood scoop or a shaker hood) is an automobile term for an air intake scoop for combustion air that is mounted directly on top of the engines air cleaner and protrudes through a hole in the hood. ... This Ford F-150 pickup truck has two spoilers one on the roof and another on the tailgate. ... A subframe is a structural component of a vehicle, such as an automobile or an aircraft, that uses a discrete, separate structure within a larger body-on-frame or unit body to carry certain components, such as the engine, drivetrain, or suspension. ... 1903 Ford Model A rear-door Tonneau Tonneau is an archaic term for an open rear passenger compartment on an automobile and, by extension, a body style incorporating such a compartment. ... This 1931 Ford Model A features a separate trunk on its rear trunk rack. ... A flipfront provides easy access to the engine bay. ... Door is a generally an opening to enter to the car (or their compartments or partition), often equipped with a hinged or sliding panel which can be moved to leave the opening accessible, or to close it more or less securely. ... 1996 McLaren F1 with butterfly doors Butterfly doors, also called vertical doors or dihedral doors, are a type of door often seen on high-performance automobiles. ... A De Lorean DMC-12 with its doors open A Bricklin SV-1 with its doors open The term gull-wing door is used to describe automobile doors which are hinged at the roof. ... Scissor doors, also called Jackknife doors, are automobile doors that rotate up and forward on a hinge near the front of the door. ... Rear suicide door on a 1967 Ford Thunderbird Front suicide door on a Fiat Multipla 600 Lloyd LT 600 van with front suicide door Suicide doors are automobile doors that are hinged on the trailing edge; the edge closer to the rear of the vehicle. ... Glass can be made transparent and flat, or into other shapes and colors as shown in this sphere from the Verrerie of Brehat in Brittany. ... Open sunroof in a Peugeot 206. ... The greenhouse (or glasshouse) of a car comprises the windscreen, rear and side windows, the more or less vertical pillars separating them (designated A-pillar, B-pillar and so on, starting from the cars front), and the cars roof. ... For other uses, see Visor (disambiguation) Alan Bean on the moon wearing a helmet with a visor A visor is a surface that protects the eyes, such as shading them from the sun or other bright light or protecting them from objects. ... Automobile windshield. ... windscreen wiper on a parked car. ... Windshield washer fluid is a fluid for cars that goes in the windshield washer. ... The rear-view mirror of a Mazda 626. ... The rear-view mirror of a Mazda 626. ... A dashboard from a 1940s car The dashboard of a modern car, a Bentley Continental GT A Hayabusas dash A modern Formula 1 car has all its gauges mounted on the steering wheel A dashboard or dash board in an automobile is a panel located under the windscreen and... Curb feeler mounted behind the front wheel of a 1950s Rambler American. ... Bumper stickers are often used on commercial vehicles so that employers can receive feedback about the driving habits of their employees A bumper sticker is an adhesive label or sticker with a message, intended to be attached to the bumper of an automobile and to be read by the occupants... A hood ornament is the name given to a specially crafted model of something which symbolises a car company like a badge. ... Japan Black is the name of a lacquer used extensively in the production of automobiles in the early 20th century in the United States. ... A monsoonshield is mounted above the doors of some automobiles, to protect the inside of the car from rain or other precipitation in case of slightly opened windows. ... A 2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac with black nerf bars A nerf bar is a tubular device fitted to the side of a Pickup truck or a Sport utility vehicle to act as a step to ease entry and exit from the vehicle. ... The various pieces of a tow hitch (also known as a tow bar) are as follows (as seen on cars and non-industrial trucks). ... A Truck Accessory is an aftermarket part that is used to enhance the style or function of the original OEM pickup truck. ... Exterior equipment of a vehicle consist of the automotive lighting, distance sensor, vanity plates, vehicle registration plate, windscreen wiper and windshield washer fluid. ... The lighting system of a motor vehicle consists of lighting and signalling devices mounted or integrated to the front, sides and rear of the vehicle. ... Daytime Running Lamps (DRL, also Daylight Running Lights) are lights on the front of roadgoing motor vehicles, automatically switched on when the vehicle is moving forward, and intended to increase the visibility of the vehicle during daylight conditions. ... The lighting system of a motor vehicle consists of lighting and signalling devices mounted or integrated to the front, sides and rear of the vehicle. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Beyond the technical aspects of headlights for automobiles there is the consideration of the various ways these are arranged in a car for appearances sake. ... 1937 Cord 812 with hidden headlights Promotional art for the 1942 DeSoto, the first mass produced American car with hidden headlights 1967 Ford Thunderbird with hidden headlights Pop-up headlights on a 1973 SAAB Sonett III. Hidden headlamps are an automotive styling feature that conceals an automobiles headlights when... 15 kW Xenon short-arc lamp used in IMAX projectors High-intensity discharge (HID) lamps include these types of electrical lamps: mercury vapor, metal halide (also HQI), high-pressure sodium, low-pressure sodium and less common, xenon short-arc lamps. ... Retroreflectors are clearly visible in a pair of bicycle shoes. ... A burnt-out sealed beam, broken open to show internals. ... Trafficators are the internally lit semaphores springing out from the door pillars on some older (pre 1950s) motor vehicles to signal left and right turns. ... A vehicle registration plate, also called a license plate or number plate is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identification purposes. ... A vanity plate (US), prestige plate, private number plate, personalised registration (UK) or personalised plate (Australia) is a special type of Vehicle registration plate on an automobile or other vehicle. ... A distance sensor is a autos electromechanical device, that translate each rotation of the transimission into a several electronics pulses. ... Parktronic, also called Acoustic Parking System (APS) or Park sensor, is a parking-assistance system installed on some Audi vehicles. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with air cleaner. ... Automatic Performance Control (APC) is a system that was introduced on turbo charged Saab H engines in 1982. ... // Introduction The term blowoff valve is commonly used in the disussion of turbocharged vehicles. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Manifold_absolute_pressure. ... A boost controller is a device in a turbocharged or supercharged car that regulates boost pressure. ... A butterfly valve is a type of flow control device, used to regulate a fluid flowing through a section of pipe. ... Bendix-Technico (Stromberg) 1-barrel downdraft carburetor model BXUV-3, with nomenclature The carburetor, carburettor, or carburetter (see spelling differences), also called carb (in North America) or carbie (chiefly in Australia) for short, is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. ... A charge cooler system is a type of intercooler where the cooler uses a form of heat exchanger in line with the turbo, this cools the charge air temperature before entering the engine. ... Cover of Hot Rod magazine showing Ford Flathead V8 engine with centrifugal supercharger (on top) The centrifugal type supercharger is practically identical in operation to a turbocharger, with the exception that instead of exhaust gases driving an impeller, there is only a compressor housing, and that is driven from the... A cold air intake is a system used to bring down the temperature of the air going into a car for the purpose of increasing the power of the internal-combustion engine. ... In automotive electronics, an electronic control unit (ECU) is an embedded microcomputer that controls one or more of the electrical subsystems in a vehicle. ... An Engine Control Unit (ECU) also known as an Engine Control Module (ECM) or Powertrain Control Unit/Module (PCU, PCM) if it controls both an engine and a transmission, is an electronic control unit which controls various aspects of an internal combustion engines operation. ... Forced induction is a term used to describe internal combustion engines that are not naturally aspirated. ... Front mounted intercooler, an IC mount position, which involves mounting the intercooler at the front of the engine, usually in the bumper. ... Found in most internal combustion engines, a fuel filter is a filter in the fuel line that screens out dirt and rust particles from the fuel. ... // Fuel injection is a means of metering fuel into an internal combustion engine. ... mechanical fuel pump, fitted to cylinder head Electric fuel pump Petro-Canada Fuel Pump used to transfer fuel at a gas station. ... It has been suggested that Racing Fuel Cell be merged into this article or section. ... or GDi is a variant of fuel injection employed in modern two-stroke and four stroke petrol engines. ... In an internal combustion engine, the term indirect injection refers to a fuel injection where fuel is not directly injected into the combustion chamber. ... An intake is an air intake for an engine. ... It has been suggested that Front mounted intercooler, Top mounted intercooler and Charge cooler be merged into this article or section. ... Left side of a Ford Cologne V6 engine, clearly showing a (rusty) cast iron exhaust manifold - three exhaust ports into one pipe. ... Manifold vacuum, or engine vacuum in an internal combustion engine is the difference in air pressure between the engines intake manifold and Earths atmosphere. ... A mass flow sensor responds to the amount of a fluid (usually a gas) flowing through a chamber containing the sensor. ... A naturally-aspirated engine or normally-aspirated engine (NA - aspiration meaning breathing) refers to an internal combustion engine (normally petrol or diesel powered) that is neither turbocharged nor supercharged. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The scroll-type supercharger is a positive displacement supercharger, first invented by L. Creux of France in 1905 for aircraft use. ... The introduction of this article does not provide enough context for readers unfamiliar with the subject. ... A supercharger (also known as a blower) is an air compressor used to force more air (and hence more oxygen) into the combustion chamber(s) of an internal combustion engine than can be achieved at ambient atmospheric pressure. ... Fuel injection is a technology used in internal combustion engines to mix the fuel with air prior to combustion. ... A top mounted intercooler (TMIC) is an automotive intercooler mounted within the engine bay, above the engine. ... Air foil bearing-supported turbocharger cutaway made by Mohawk Innovative Technology Inc. ... Turbo Direct Injection (TDI) is the technology used for modern Diesel engines produced by Volkswagen Group, and is widely used in passenger cars produced by the company (especially those sold in Europe). ... Twin-Turbo, also called bi-turbo by some, refers to a turbocharged engine on which two turbochargers compress the intake charge. ... Variable Length Intake Manifold (VLIM) is an automobile engine manifold technology. ... The Variable geometry turbocharger (VGT) exists in several forms, usually designed to allow the effective A/R ratio of the turbo to be altered as the conditions change. ... A warm air intake, or WAI, is a system to decrease the amount of air going into a car for the purpose of decreasing the fuel efficiency of the internal-combustion engine. ... Automobile exhaust Exhaust gas is flue gas which occurs as a result of the combustion of fuels such as natural gas, gasoline/petrol, diesel, fuel oil or coal. ... Catalytic converter on a Saab 9-5. ... Vehicle emissions inspection station Automobile emissions control covers all the technologies that are employed to reduce the air pollution-causing emissions produced by automobiles. ... An exhaust pipe is usually a pipe used to guide waste exhaust gases away from a controlled combustion inside an engine or stove. ... An exhaust system conveys burnt gases from an internal combustion engine and typically includes a collection of pipes. ... A glasspack is a kind of automobile muffler in which the exhaust gas passes straight through the center of the muffler. ... Muffler and exhaust pipe on a Ducati 695 A muffler (or silencer in British English) is a device for reducing the amount of noise emitted by a machine. ... // An oxygen sensor is an electronic device that measures the proportion of oxygen (O2) in the gas or liquid being analyzed. ... Aircooling (also: air cooling) is one method of dissipating heat. ... Antifreeze is used in gasoline and diesel engines. ... Ethylene glycol (monoethylene glycol (MEG), IUPAC name: ethane-1,2-diol) is an alcohol with two -OH groups (a diol), a chemical compound widely used as an automotive antifreeze. ... Radiators and convectors are types of heat exchangers designed to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. ... Bi-metallic thermostat for buildings A thermostat is a device for regulating the temperature of a system so that the systems temperature is maintained near a desired setpoint temperature. ... 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. ... An automobile self-starter is an electric motor that initiates piston motion in a cars internal combustion engine before it can power itself. ... Lead-acid car battery A car battery is a type of electric battery that supplies electric energy to an automobile. ... Breaker arm with contact points at the left. ... Distributor cap. ... An automotive (ignition system) ballast resistor An electrical ballast (sometimes called control gear) is a device intended to limit the amount of current flowing in an electric circuit. ... An ignition coil (also called a spark coil) is an electrical device in a automobiles ignition system which transforms a storage batterys 12 volts to the thousands of volts needed to spark the spark plugs. ... Lead-acid batteries, invented in 1859 by French physicist Gaston PlantÃ©, are the oldest type of galvanic cell battery. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The term spark-ignition is normally used to refer to internal combustion engines where the fuel-air mixture is ignited with a spark. ... This article or section should include material from Spark gap A spark plug is an electrical device that fits into the cylinder head of some internal combustion engines and ignites compressed aerosol gasoline by means of an electric spark. ... Balance shaft in Ford Taunus V4 engine. ... A block heater is an electric heater that heats the engine of a car. ... A crank is a bent portion of an axle, or shaft, or an arm keyed at right angles to the end of a shaft, by which motion is imparted to or received from it; also used to change circular into reciprocating motion, or reciprocating into circular motion. ... monkey ... Computer animation of a camshaft The camshaft is an apparatus often used in piston engines to operate poppet valves. ... piston (top) and connecting rod from typical automotive engine (scale is in centimetres) Components of a typical, four stroke cycle, DOHC piston engine. ... A combustion chamber is part of an engine in which fuel is burned. ... Piston and connecting rod from an automobile engine, showing the big end bearing at the bottom. ... 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. ... A crossflow cylinder head is a cylinder head that features the intake and exhaust ports on opposite sides. ... The crossplane or cross-plane is a crankshaft design for V8 engines with a 90Â° angle between the cylinder banks. ... Desmodromic poppet valve // Desmodromic valves are those which are positively closed by a cam and leverage system, rather than relying on the more conventional valve springs to close them. ... Knocking (also called pinking or pinging)â€” colloquially detonationâ€”in internal combustion engines occurs when air/fuel mixture in the cylinder has been ignited by the spark plug and the smooth burning is interrupted by the unburned mixture in the combustion chamber exploding before the flame front can reach it. ... Bold text The compression ratio is a single number that can be used to predict the performance of any engine (such as an internal-combustion engine or a Stirling Engine). ... A crank sensor is a component used in an engine (or occasionally on a bicycle) to monitor crank position and/or rotational speed. ... Cylinder with piston in a steam engine A cylinder in the central working part of a reciprocating engine, the space in which a piston travels. ... Piston engines are typically arranged with their pistons in rows, moving inside individual cylinders. ... The cylinder block of a Ford I4 DOHC engine The cylinder block or engine block is a machined casting (or sometimes an assembly of modules) containing cylindrically bored holes for the pistons of a multi-cylinder reciprocating internal combustion engine, or for a similarly constructed device such as a pump. ... The cylinder head from a GMC van. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Dump valves are fitted to the engines of (usually older) turbo charged cars and sit between the turbo outlet and the throttle body. ... Engine balance is the design, construction and tuning of an engine to run smoothly. ... Spin-on oil filter beneath the engine of a Saab 9-5 (2005) Cartridge oil filter for use on a 2006 Volvo S40 An oil filter is a device used to decontaminate oil that contains suspended impurities. ... The firing order is the sequence of sparking of the spark plugs in a reciprocating engine, or the sequence of fuel injection in each cylinder in a Diesel engine. ... Freeze plugs are a subset of the plugs on a car engine cylinder block or cylinder head. ... Some seals and gaskets 1. ... Different kinds of gaskets, #4 indicating a V4 head gasket The head gasket sits between the engine block and cylinder head in an internal combustion engine. ... Hypereutectic pistons are cast internal combustion engine pistons made from aluminum with over 16% silicon content for strength and durability. ... In automotive terminology, a hydrolock is the immobilization of an engines pistons by a liquid (usually water, hence the prefix hydro-). Hydrolocking occurs when liquid fills a cylinder on the intake stroke and, due to the incompressibility of a liquid, makes the compression stroke impossible. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... In a piston engine, the main bearings are the bearings on which the crankshaft rotates. ... Motor oil is a type of liquid oil used for lubrication by various kinds of internal combustion engines. ... In automotive engineering, an engine is referred to as multi-valve (or multivalve) when each cylinder has more than two valves. ... Numerous late-model piston engines from many manufacturers have suffered from failures due to oil sludge contamination. ... A cylinder head sliced in half shows two overhead camshaftsâ€”one above each of the two valves. ... A cylinder head containing two overhead camshafts, one above each of the two valves In automotive engineering, an overhead valve internal combustion engine is one in which the intake and exhaust valves and ports are contained in the cylinder head. ... The Positive Crankcase Ventilation valve, or PCV Valve, is a one-way valve that ensures continual refreshment of the air inside a gasoline internal combustion engines crankcase. ... For the use of the term in optics, see piston (optics). ... Spring-loaded piston rings. ... Pneumatic Valve Gear uses compressed air to spring valves closed in high-revving types of internal combustion engine. ... A poppet valve is a valve consisting of a hole, usually round or oval, and a tapered plug, usually a disk shape on the end of a shaft also called a valve stem. ... The power band of an engine refers to the range of operating speeds under which the engine is able to operate efficiently. ... The tachometer, right, shows red lines above 5700 RPM. Redline refers to the maximum engine speed at which an internal combustion engine and its components are designed to operate without causing damage to the components themselves or other parts of the engine. ... A reverse-flow cylinder head is a cylinder head that locates the intake and exhaust ports on the same side of the engine. ... rocker arm This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... Compression seal example A mechanical seal is a device which helps join systems or mechanisms together by preventing leakage (e. ... piston engine Bristol Perseus The sleeve valve is a type of valve mechanism for piston engines which have traditionally relied on the more common poppet valve. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... Mobil 1 oil Synthetic oil is oil consisting of chemical compounds which were not originally present in crude oil (petroleum) but were artificially made (synthesized) from other compounds. ... In mechanical engineering, a tappet is a projection which imparts a linear motion to some other component within an assembly. ... Timing belt A timing belt, timing chain or cam belt is a part of an internal combustion engine that controls the timing of the engines valves. ... Timing mark on pulley at 6Â° before TDC. A timing mark is a mark used for setting the timing of the ignition system of an engine, typically found on the crankshaft pulley (as pictured) or the flywheel, being the largest radius rotating at crankshaft speed and therefore the place where... Look up top dead center in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... An Underdrive pulley refers to an aftermarket crankshaft or accessory pulley (such as an alternator pulley) that is designed to drive a vehicles accessories at a slower rate than stock. ... Valve float is a condition which occurs when the valves on an internal combustion engine do not return to the fully closed position under high rpms due to valve springs incapable of overcoming the momentum of the valvetrain. ... Variable valve timing, or VVT, is a generic term for an automobile piston engine technology. ... Vehicle interior equipment generally inclues passive safety, dashboard, shifter for selecting gear ratios and ancillary. ... Vehicle instrument is an instrument that measures some parameters in the vehicle. ... A backup camera is a special type of video camera that is produced specifically for the purpose of being attached to the rear of a vehicle to aid in backing. ... Boost gauge on a Ford Focus RS A boost gauge is a pressure gauge that indicates turbocharger or supercharger boost pressure in an internal combustion engine. ... A buzzer or beeper is a signaling device, usually electronic, typically used in automobiles, household appliances such as a microwave oven, or game shows. ... We dont have an article called Car computer Start this article Search for Car computer in. ... Carputer is a term sometimes used to refer to a computer installed in a car. ... A fuel gauge (or gas gauge) is an instrument used to indicate the level of fuel contained in a tank. ... The Global Positioning System (GPS) is currently the only fully functional Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). ... A taxi in Kyoto, equipped with GPS navigation system An automotive navigation system is a satellite navigation system designed for use in automobiles. ... HUD of a F/A-18C HUD of a MiG-29 HUD in a Pontiac Bonneville showing a speed of 47 mph A Head-Up Display, also known as a Heads-Up Display or simply HUD, is any type of display that presents data without blocking the users view. ... An idiot light is a method of displaying information about a system (e. ... A Malfunction Indicator Lamp, this one labeled Service Engine Soon. A Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) is an indicator of the internal status of a car engine. ... Night-vision is seeing in the dark. ... A modern non-digital odometer A Smiths speedometer from the 1920s showing odometer and trip meter An odometer is a device used for indicating distance traveled by an automobile or other vehicle. ... An early radar detector A radar detector is an electronic device used by motorists to determine if their speed is being monitored. ... Speedometer gauge on a car, showing the speed of the vehicle in miles and kilometres per hour on the outâ€“ and inside respectively. ... Tachometer showing engine RPM (rotations per minute), and a redline from 6000 and 7000 RPM. A tachometer gauges the speed of rotation of a shaft or disk (from Greek: tachos = speed, metron = measure), as in a motor or other machine. ... A trip computer is an onboard computer device fitted to cars which can generally record distance travelled, average speed, average fuel consumption, and display real time fuel consumption information. ... Invented by Frank Bowden, a bowden cable is a type of flexible cable used to transmit mechanical force or energy by the movement of an inner cable (most commonly of steel or stainless steel) relative to a hollow outer cable housing. ... Cruise control (sometimes known as speed control or Autocruise) is a system to automatically control the speed of an automobile. ... Electronic throttle control (ETC) is an automobile technology which severs the direct link between the accelerator pedal and the throttle. ... A gear stick (also gearstick, gear lever and gear shifter) is the lever used to change gear in a vehicle, such as an automobile, with manual transmission or automatic transmission. ... In cars, the hand brake (also known as the emergency brake, e-brake, park brake, or parking brake) is a supplementary system that can be used if the vehicles primary brake system (usually hydraulic brakes) has a failure. ... Manettino dials are part of modern super cars (like the new Ferrari 599 GTB and Ferrari Enzo). ... A modern road cars steering wheel Steering wheels from different periods A steering wheel is a type of steering control used in most modern land vehicles, including all mass-production automobiles. ... In an engine, the throttle is the mechanism by which the engines power is increased or decreased. ... Motor vehicle theft is a crime of theft. ... A single key A key is a device which is used to open a lock. ... Car Alarm is the 70th episode of the TV series Kim Possible. ... An immobiliser or immobilizer is an electronic device fitted to an automobile which prevents the engine from running unless the correct key (or other token) is present. ... Audio sample: Klaxon ( file info) â€” A sample of a submarine dive klaxon used by United States Navy submarines during World War II Problems listening to the file? See media help. ... Vehicle Tracking Systems are electronic devices installed in vehicles to enable vehicle owners or third parties to track the location of a vehicle. ... VIN etching is a countermeasure to motor vehicle theft. ... Automobile safety is the avoidance of automobile accidents or the minimization of harmful effects of accidents, in particular as pertaining to human life and health. ... A car seat usually refers to a small seat secured to the seat of an automobile equipped with safety harnesses to hold children in the event of a crash. ... For the Mozilla crash reporting software previously called Airbag, see Breakpad. ... The armrest in the backseat of a Lincoln Town Car, featuring cupholders. ... This article may be confusing for some readers, and should be edited to enhance clarity. ... The traditional seat installed in American automobiles was the bench seat. ... A bucket seat is an upholstered seat in a car, truck, or motorboat that seats one person. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A dicky seat (dickie seat or dickey seat) is the name given to the third seat in the rear of an early two-seater automobile. ... 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 rumble seat is an unupholstered exterior seat which hinges or otherwise opens out from the rear of an early automobile, and seats one or more passengers. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Note: in the broadest sense, air conditioning can refer to any form of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning. ... Several different methods of automobile ancillary power exist. ... It has been suggested that In car entertainment be merged into this article or section. ... ... The center console (British English: centre console) in an automobile refers to the control-bearing surfaces in the center of the front of the vehicles interior. ... A dashboard from a 1940s car The dashboard of a modern car, a Bentley Continental GT A Hayabusas dash A modern Formula 1 car has all its gauges mounted on the steering wheel A dashboard or dash board in an automobile is a panel located under the windscreen and... The glovebox of a Cadillac Eldorado Brougham For the sealed container for handling hazardous materials, see glovebox. ... Typical Motorola plug found on consumer auto accessory antenna coaxial cables A common coaxial cable connector used primarily in the automotive industry for connecting the coaxial feedline from the antenna to the radio receiver. ... Power windows or electric windows are windows which can be raised and lowered by depressing a button or switch of some sort, as opposed to using a hand-turned crank. ... The rear-view mirror of a Mazda 626. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The force bearing on the axle has an eccentricity e with the point of contact to the rolling surface and exerts a moment about the contact point. ... Pneumatic tires or tyres (see spelling differences) are used on all types of vehicles, from cars to earthmovers to airplanes. ... All-terrain tyre An All-terrain tyre is a type of automotive tyre most commonly found on Four wheel drive vehicles. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... Contact patch is the name applied to the area of a vehicles tire that is in contact with the road surface. ... The term Custom wheel is used refer to the wheels of a vehicle which have either been modified from the vehicle manufacturers standard, or have replaced the manufacturers standard. ... A drive wheel is a wheel in an automotive vehicle that receives power from the power train. ... A reflective hubcap A hubcap or wheel cover is a decorative disk on an automobile wheel that covers at least a central portion of the wheel. ... Magnesium alloy wheels, or mag wheels, are sometimes used on racing cars, in place of heavier steel or aluminium wheels, for better performance. ... A Mud Terrain Tyre is a type of automotive tyre which may be fitted as an aftermarket option to four wheel drive vehicles. ... Paddle tires are off road vehicle tires specifically designed for use in sand. ... A radial tire (more properly, a radial-ply tire) is a particular design of automotive tire (in British English, tyre). ... Rostyle wheels are a particular design of wheels for cars made by the British firm of Rubery Owen, a diversified industrial company which made many car parts. ... // A run flat tire is a pneumatic vehicle tire that is designed to resist the effects of deflation and to enable the vehicle to continue to be driven â€” albeit at reduced speeds (i. ... A schrader valve on a bicycle tire. ... A wheel with a slick tire. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Automobile tires are described by an alphanumeric code which is generally molded into the side-wall of the tire. ... A tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) is an electronic system to monitor the air pressure inside a pneumatic tire. ... The tread of a tire or caterpillar track refers to the pattern visible on its circumference that makes contact with the road. ... The Treadwear Grade of a tire is the numeric portion of the Uniform Tire Quality Grade Standards (UTQG) that are printed on the sidewall of a tire. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with tire. ... Wire wheels, a. ... In mechanics, a transmission is the gear and/or hydraulic system that transmits mechanical power from a prime mover (which can be an engine or electric motor), to some form of useful output device. ... An automatic transmission is an automobile gearbox that can change gear ratios automatically as the vehicle moves, thus freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually. ... For other uses, see Clutch (disambiguation). ... The continuously variable transmission (CVT) is a transmission in which the ratio of the rotational speeds of two shafts, as the input shaft and output shaft of a vehicle or other machine, can be varied continuously within a given range, providing an infinite number of possible ratios. ... In an automobile and other four-wheeled vehicles, a differential is a device, usually consisting of gears, for allowing each of the driving wheels to rotate at different speeds, while supplying equal torque to each of them. ... Cardan driveshaft with universal joints A driveshaft or driving shaft or Cardan shaft is a mechanical device for transferring power from the engine or motor to the point where useful work is applied. ... A clutch is a mechanism for transmitting rotation, which can be both engaged and disengaged. ... Epicyclic gearing is used here to increase output speed. ... A fluid coupling is a hydraulic device used for trasmitting mechanical shaft power from a rotating driver to a rotating driven load. ... An automatic transmission is an automobile gearbox that can change gear ratios automatically as the car moves, thus freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually. ... A gear stick (also gearstick, gear lever and gear shifter) is the lever used to change gear in a vehicle, such as an automobile, with manual transmission or automatic transmission. ... A gearbox is an assembly of gears allowing the rotational speed of an input shaft to be changed to a different speed. ... Hydramatic (also known as Hydra-Matic) was an automatic transmission developed by General Motorss Oldsmobile division. ... In automotive applications, a limited slip differential (LSD) is a modified or derived type of differential gear arrangement that allows for some difference in rotational velocity of the output shafts, but does not allow the difference in speed to increase beyond a preset amount. ... A locking differential or locker is a modified type of automotive differential. ... A manual transmission (also known as a stick shift, straight drive, or standard transmission) is a type of transmission used in automotive applications. ... Roto Hydramatic (sometimes spelled Roto Hydra-Matic or Roto-Hydramatic) was an automatic transmission built by General Motors and used on some Oldsmobile and Pontiac models from 1961 to 1964. ... Saxomat was a type of automatic clutch available as an option on Saab 93, Volkswagen Beetle, Borgward, DKW, BMW, Opel, NSU and Glas. ... Semi-automatic transmission, or also known as clutchless manual transmission, automated manual transmission, e-gear, or paddle shift gearbox is a system which uses electronic sensors, processors and actuators to do gear shifts on the command of the driver. ... Semi-automatic transmission, or also known as clutchless manual transmission, automated manual transmission, e-gear, or paddle shift gearbox is a system which uses electronic sensors, processors and actuators to do gear shifts on the command of the driver. ... The Super Turbine 300 (abbreviated ST-300) was a two-speed automatic transmission built by General Motors. ... Tiptronic is a type of discrete automatic transmission developed by Porsche and used in its vehicles and those of its licensees. ... A cut-away model of a torque converter A torque converter is modified form of a hydrodynamic fluid coupling, and like the fluid coupling, is used to transfer rotating power from a prime mover, such as an internal combustion engine or electric motor, to a rotating driven load. ... In mechanics, a transmission or gearbox is the system of gears and/or the hydraulic system (called variously hydrodynamic, fluid or automatic transmission) that transmits mechanical power from a prime moverâ€”such as an engine or electric motorâ€”to a typically rotary output device at a lower angular momentum but... A Transmission Control Unit is a device that controls modern electronic automatic transmissions. ... Turbo-Hydramatic is the registered tradename of an automatic transmission developed and produced by General Motors. ... A universal joint A universal joint, U joint, Cardan joint or Hardy-Spicer joint is a joint in a rigid rod that allows the rod to bend in any direction. ... Steering is the term applied to the collection of components, linkages, etc. ... Ackermann steering geometry is a geometric arrangement of linkages in the steering of a car or other vehicle designed to solve the problem of wheels on the inside and outside of a turn needing to trace out circles of different radii. ... An anti-lock braking system (ABS) is a system on motor vehicles which prevents the wheels from locking while braking. ... A wheel with a negative camber angle Camber angle is the angle made by the wheel of an automobile; specifically, it is the angle between the vertical axis of the wheel and the vertical axis of the vehicle when viewed from the front or rear. ... Car handling and vehicle handling is a description of the way wheeled vehicles perform transverse to their direction of motion, particularly during cornering and swerving. ... Î¸ is the caster angle, red line is the pivot line, grey area is the tire Caster (or castor) angle is the angular displacement from the vertical axis of the suspension of a steered wheel in a car or other vehicle, measured in the longitudinal direction. ... Oversteer is a phenomenon that can occur in an automobile which is attempting to turn. ... Power steering is a system for reducing the steering effort on cars by using an external power source to assist in turning the wheels. ... Rack and pinion animation A rack and pinion is a pair of gears which convert rotational motion into linear motion. ... In automotive technology toe is the symmetric angle that each wheel makes with the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, as a function of static geometry, and kinematic and compliant effects. ... Torque steering is an effect in front wheel drive cars caused by large amounts of torque affecting steering in such a way as to make the front wheels squirm (oscillate) from side to side under heavy acceleration, noticeable to the driver by the steering wheel being tugged back and forth... Understeer is a term for a car handling condition during cornering in which the circular path of the vehicles motion is of a markedly greater diameter than the circle indicated by the direction its wheels are pointed. ... 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. ... An axle is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. ... Solid axle and Panhard rod on a 2002 Mazda MPV A beam axle is a suspension system, also called a solid axle, in which one set of wheels is connected laterally by a single beam or shaft. ... A compression coil spring A tension coil spring A selection of conical coil springs A Coil spring, also known as a helical spring, is a mechanical device, which is typically used to store energy and subsequently release it, to absorb shock, or to maintain a force between contacting surfaces. ... A de Dion tube is an automobile suspension technology. ... A double wishbone suspension is an automobile independent suspension design using two parallel wishbone-shaped arms to locate the wheel. ... Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is the generic term for systems designed to improve a vehicles handling, particularly at the limits where the driver might lose control of the vehicle. ... Hydragas is a type of automotive suspension system used in many cars produced by British Leyland and its successor companies. ... Hydrolastic is a type of automotive suspension system used in many cars produced by British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successor companies. ... Hydropneumatic is the name given to a suspension system invented by CitroÃ«n and fitted to CitroÃ«n cars, as well as being adapted by other car manufacturers, notably Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz and Peugeot. ... Independent suspension is broad term for any automobile suspension system that allows each wheel on the same axle to move vertically (i. ... Suspension, showing tie rod, steering arm, king pin (axis) ball joints The kingpin is the main pivot in the steering mechanism of a car or other vehicle. ... A traditional leaf spring arrangement. ... A live axle is a type of beam axle suspension system that uses the driveshafts that transmit power to the wheels to connect the wheels laterally so that they move together as a unit. ... A simple MacPherson strut suspension on the left front wheel of a rear-wheel drive vehicle. ... A multi-link suspension is a type of vehicle suspension design typically used in independent suspensions, using three or more lateral arms, and one or more longitudinal arms. ... A Panhard rod is a component of a car suspension system that provides lateral location of the axle. ... A trailing-arm suspension is an automobile suspension design in which one or more arms (or links) are connected between (and perpendicular to) the axle and the chassis. ... Gasfilled Shock absorber. ... sway bar (also stabilizer bar, anti-sway bar, roll bar, or anti-roll bar, ARB) is an automobile suspension device. ... A swing axle suspension is a simple type of independent suspension used in automobiles. ... Torsion beam suspension, also known as a torsion bar or torsion spring suspension, is a vehicle suspension system. ... A transaxle, in the automotive field, is a component that combines the functionality of the transmission, the differential and the drive axle into one integrated assembly. ... A trailing-arm suspension is an automobile suspension design in which one or more arms (or links) are connected between (and perpendicular to) the axle and the chassis. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Watts Linkage The Watts linkage was invented by James Watt (1736--1819) to constrain the movement of a piston in a steam engine to move in a straight line. ... A double wishbone suspension is an automobile independent suspension design using two parallel wishbone-shaped arms to locate the wheel. ... It has been suggested that Drum brake and Disc brake be merged into this article or section. ... An anti-lock braking system (ABS) is a system on motor vehicles which prevents the wheels from locking while braking. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Vehicle brake. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Vehicle brake. ... In cars, the hand brake (also known as the emergency brake, e-brake, park brake, or parking brake) is a supplementary system that can be used if the vehicles primary brake system (usually hydraulic brakes) has a failure. ... The hydraulic brake is an arrangement of braking mechanism which uses hydraulic fluid, typically some type of light-viscosity petroleum oil, to transfer pressure from the controlling unit, which is usually near the operator of the vehicle, to the actual brake mechanism, which is usually at or near the wheel... An inboard braking system is an automobile technology where the brakes are not located in the wheels, as is common today, but instead near the differential. ... Brake linings are the consumable surfaces in braking systems, especially those used in vehicles. ... In automobiles, fade, or brake fade is the reduction in stopping power caused by a buildup of heat in the brake pads and rotors. ... Brake fluid is a type of hydraulic fluid used in brake applications in automobiles and light trucks. ... Hydraulic fluids are a large group of mineral oils, water-based or water used as the medium in hydraulic systems. ... Close-up of a disc brake on a car Brake bleeding is the procedure performed on hydraulic brake systems whereby the brake lines (the pipes and hoses containing the brake fluid) are purged of any air bubbles. ... It has been suggested that Exhaust brake be merged into this article or section. ... Electronic Brake Force Distribution or EBD is an automobile brake technology that automatically varies the amount of force applied to each of a vehicles brakes. ... A regenerative brake is an apparatus, a device or system which allows a vehicle to recapture and store part of the kinetic energy that would otherwise be lost to heat when braking. ...

References

^ (1976) Pocket Oxford Dictionary. London: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-861113-7.
^ WorldMapper - passenger cars.
^ SA MOTORING HISTORY - TIMELINE. Government of South Australia.
^ Setright, L. J. K. (2004). Drive On!: A Social History of the Motor Car. Granta Books. ISBN 1-86207-698-7.
^ ^a ^b ^c Ralph Stein (1967). The Automobile Book. Paul Hamlyn Ltd.
^ Burgess Wise, D. (1970). Veteran and Vintage Cars. London: Hamlyn. ISBN 0-600-00283-7.
^ ^a ^b ^c Georgano, N. (2000). Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. London: HMSO. ISBN 1-57958-293-1.
^ Past projects, NavLab.
^ DARPA Urban Challenge.
^ Global Climate Change. U.S. Department of Energy. Retrieved on 2007-03-03.
^ ^a ^b Norbye, Jan (1988). Automotive fuel injection Systems. Haynes Publishing. ISBN 0-85429-755-3.
^ Setright, L.J.K. "Steam: The Romantic Illusion", in Ward, Ian, ed., World of Automobiles (London: Orbis Publishing, 1974), pp.2168-2173.)
^ www.werbos.com/E/WhoKilledElecPJW.htm. Retrieved on 2007-04-10.
^ World report on road traffic injury prevention.
^ www.universityscience.ie/pages/scientists/sci_mary_ward.php. Retrieved on 2007-04-10.
^ CityStreets - Bliss plaque.
^ SaferCar.gov - NHTSA.
^ Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
^ car operating costs. my car. RACV.
^ Setright, L. J. K. (2004). Drive On!: A Social History of the Motor Car. Granta Books. ISBN 1-86207-698-7.
^ John A. Jakle, Keith A. Sculle. (2004). Lots of Parking: Land Use in a Car Culture. ISBN 0813922666.
^ Clearing the Air. The Surface Transportation Policy Project (2003-08-19). Retrieved on [[2007-04-26]].
^ Emission Facts. United States Environmental Protection Agency.
^ World report on road traffic injury prevention. World Health Organization.
^ Our Ailing Communities. Metropolis Magazine.
^ Automobiles and the Environment. Greenercars.com.
^ CAFE Overview - Frequently Asked Questions. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
^ Flexcar Expands to Philadelphia. Green Car Congress (2007-04-02).
^ About Bike Share Programs. Tech Bikes MIT.
^ Jane Holtz Kay (1998). Asphalt Nation: how the automobile took over America, and how we can take it back. ISBN 0520216202.

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