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Although earlier steam and hydrogen powered mechanical vehicles existed prior to 1886, Karl Benz perfected and patented the first internal combustion engine powered by gasonline. Karl Benz's 1885 model (patented in 1886) is considered the first modern automobile.
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Rudolf Diesels first diesel powered motorcar was built in 1893 and later perfected by 1897. Diesel powered engines have been the largest competitor of the gasoline powered engines. Diesel engines produce more energy with better fuel economy. Diesel engines find a prominent place in big trucks and heavy machines, but fail to gain popularity in smaller personal automobiles until the 1970s when fuel shortages prompted auto buyers to look for alternatives with better mpg.
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Before Ford's introduction of the Model T, automobiles were considered luxury items reserved for the wealthy. Henry Ford had a vision to build an affordable car for the common man. With the introduction of the Model T and later perfection of the assembly line Ford was able to produce Model T's at a price at about $800. By 1926 2/3 of all automobiles on the road were Ford Model T's
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The first transcontinental highway, the Lincoln Highway, connected New York to California. The highway is 3.389 miles long and is still in use.
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Henry fords work in improving the assembly line and use of standardized parts increased automobile production dramatically. Ford's production line increased production and decreased labor needs. With these improvements Ford could produce a car every 15 minutes and could afford to pay his employees an unprecedented $5 per day.
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Drive through-windows first appeared in the late 1920s in Banks. The drive-through technology would later be introduced to a variety of different businessess. The most prominent use of the drive-through came with fast food chains including In-N-Out Burger, Maid-rite, and Mc Donalds. The first fast food drive-through was introduced in 1948 but which chain was first is in dispute.
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Automobile luxury and safety increased dramitcally in the 1950s. Although now standard, the airbag came as common option in the 1950s along with a/c, automatic transmissions, and radios.
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The automobile led to a greater concentration of people outside of the cities creating what we know refer to as suburbs. With the increasing distances between peoples homes and shopping options the shopping center emerged as the answer as a one stop shop concentrated in one area.
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The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 commonly referred toas the National Interstate and Defense Highway Act authorized the building of our interstate highway system. At the time it was the United States' largest public works program and wasn't completed until 35 years later.
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Bio-fuels have been in existence since the creation of the first diesel engine. However, it wasn't until the 1970s that production became viable. Their popularity has only recently begun to increase in the early 2000s.
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The move to fuel injection began in the 1980s due the the energy crisis of the 1970s. As a result of fuel injection technology automobiles became much more fuel efficent and better for the environment.
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The Toyota Prius became the first mass produced electric hybrid vehicle available to consumers in 1997. However, it is important to note that electric cars and hybrid electric car technology have been around since the late 1800s
