The design of the Cugnot Steam Trolley (Jonathan Holguinisburg) (1769)
The early history of the automobile can be divided into a number of eras, based on the prevalent means of propulsion. Later periods were defined by trends in exterior styling, size, and utility preferences.
In 1768, the first steam-powered automobile capable of human transportation was built by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot.[1]:14
In 1807, François Isaac de Rivaz designed the first car powered by an internal combustion engine fueled by hydrogen.
In 1886, the first petrol- or gasoline-powered automobile, was invented by Karl Benz.[2] This is also considered to be the first "production" vehicle as Benz made several other identical copies.
At the turn of the 20th century electrically powered automobiles appeared but only occupied a niche market until the turn of the 21st century.
Ferdinand Verbiest, a member of a Jesuit mission in China, built the first steam-powered vehicle around 1672 as a toy for the Chinese Emperor. It was of small enough scale that it could not carry a driver but it was, quite possibly the first working steam-powered vehicle ('auto-mobile').[3][4]
Cugnot's steam wagon, the second (1771) version
A replica of Richard Trevithick's 1801 road locomotive 'Puffing Devil'
Steam-powered self-propelled vehicles large enough to transport people and cargo were first devised in the late 18th century. Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot demonstrated his fardier à vapeur ("steam dray"), an experimental steam-driven artillery tractor, in 1770 and 1771. As Cugnot's design proved to be impractical, his invention was not developed in his native France. The center of innovation shifted to Great Britain. By 1784, William Murdoch had built a working model of a steam carriage in Redruth.[5] The first automobile patent in the United States was granted to Oliver Evans in 1789, and in 1801 Richard Trevithick was running a full-sized vehicle on the roads in Camborne.
19th century[edit]
Many vehicles were in vogue for a time, and over the next decades such innovations as hand brakes, multi-speed
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