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First Self-Propelled Car
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) -
Electric Carriage
Robert Anderson (Scottish inventor) invented the first electric carriage that was powered by non-rechargeable primary cells. (no specific date) -
Small Locomotive
Thomas Davenport built the first electric vehicle, a small locomotive. The locomotive was powered by running a current through the rails. (no specific date) -
Four-Stroke Engine
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) -
Gas-Fueled Car
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. -
Ford Motor Company Formed
Ford car company eventually became the world's larget car manufacturer and in 1927 they were able to build cars in 93 minutes. -
Starter Motor for Cars
Charles Kettering, a worker for Cadillac, created the electric ignition and starter motor. Cars were now able to start themselves. -
Cars Go Green
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) -
Fuel-Efficient Cars
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.
