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Nicolas Cugnot, a French military engineer, created a steam-powered vehicle that moved in rotary motion that could run on it's own. (no specific date)
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Robert Anderson (Scottish inventor) invented the first electric carriage that was powered by non-rechargeable primary cells. (no specific date)
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Thomas Davenport built the first electric vehicle, a small locomotive. The locomotive was powered by running a current through the rails. (no specific date)
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Nikolaus August Otto created a successful four-stroke engine which he named the "Otto Cycle." He later patented this invention. The first successful two-stroke engine was invented this year as well. (no specific date)
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Karl Friedrich Benz was the first one to patent the idea for a gas-fueled car. It ran on 3 wheels and seeted 2 people. His car was powered by an internal combustion engine.
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Ford car company eventually became the world's larget car manufacturer and in 1927 they were able to build cars in 93 minutes.
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Charles Kettering, a worker for Cadillac, created the electric ignition and starter motor. Cars were now able to start themselves.
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Car manufacturers realize that the oil reserves will evenutally dry up and they develop an engine that uses more than one fuel source. These are hybrid engines. (no specific date)
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Gas prices skyrocket to over $4 and car sales drop extremely low. Car manufacturers begin to build smaller and more fuel-efficent cars instead of largers cars that didn't get many miles per gallon. Some characteristics that were looked at for fuel-efficient cars were the engine type, size and weight, and the aerodynamics of the car.