Car history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Car history - Essay Example Steam cars had been built in America since before the Civil War. In 1871, Dr. J. W. Carhart, professor of physics at Wisconsin State University, and the J. I. Case Company built a working steam car. That was enough to encourage the State of Wisconsin to offer a $10,000 prize to the winner of a 200 mile race in 1878. In 1873, Karl Benz developed a successful gas-powered two-stroke piston engine. After this he focused on developing a motorized vehicle. His Patent Motorwagen, introduced in 1886, is widely regarded as the first purpose-built automobile that is a vehicle designed from the ground up to be motorized. Benz unveiled it officially on July 3, 1886 on the Ringstrase in Mannheim, Germany. Henry Ford had an engine running by 1893 but it was 1896 before he built his first car. By the end of the year Ford had sold his first car, which he called a Quadracycle, for $200 and used the money to build another one. With the financial backing of the Mayor of Detroit, William C. Maybury and other wealthy Detroiters, Ford formed the Detroit Automobile Company in 1899. A few prototypes were built but no production cars were ever made by this company. It was dissolved in January 1901. Ford would not offer a car for sale until 1903. Today it has been 100 years of the advent of electric cars. It has an interesting history of development and its still carry on. It was first developed in France and England during the last quarter of 19th century. During late 1890s and early years of 20th century, a lot of innovations were made in motor vehicles industry. Till 1895, Americans didn't begin to devote attention to electric vehicles. It was the first commercial application in America which established as a fleet of New York City taxis in 1897. The early electric vehicles were little more than electrified horseless carriages and surreys. For example, in 1902 Wood's Phaeton which had top speed of 14 mph, a range of 18 miles and cost $2,000. The years 1899 and 1900 were the sky-scraping point of electric vehicles in America, as they outsold all other types of cars. With the passage of time, the car industry got prosperity and the motor vehicle used to be turned into steam, electric, or gasoline versions. Most early electric cars were ornate with massive carriages and designed for the upper class with cost under $1,000. However, by 1910, they had fancy interiors, with expensive materials, and averaged $3,000. Electric vehicles enjoyed success into the 1920s with production peaking in 1912. At the start of its advent in 20th century, electric cars got popularity as it had many advantages over their competitors. They did not have the noise, smell and vibrations associated with gasoline cars. Unlike gasoline cars, electric vehicles did not require gear changes. Also, steam-powered cars suffered from long start-up times of up to 45 minutes on cold mornings. The steam cars had less range before needing water than the range of an electric car on a single charge As compared to steam-powered and gasoline cars, the electric cars was the preferred choice of many because it did not require the manual effort to start. With other cars there was a