Automobiles are motor vehicles designed to transport people and goods. Often referred to as cars, they are the most common mode of transportation on roads throughout the world. Cars have dramatically impacted the way we live our lives; it is hard to imagine modern life without them.
The development of the automobile was one of a cluster of major technologies that began to transform our lives in the early part of the twentieth century. Other technologies included television, the radio, airplanes and computer hardware and software. Each of these technologies had a significant impact on society and has altered the course of history.
Having a car provides a great deal of flexibility to your schedule and lifestyle. You can choose when you want to leave, where you want to go and when you are ready to return home. While there are risks associated with car ownership, these can be reduced by obeying traffic laws, driving defensively and avoiding reckless behavior.
In the beginning, most people used their cars to travel from work or school to their homes or vice versa. Then they became popular for recreational trips such as sightseeing tours. They also brought a new vitality to rural areas. Having a car also changed how people dated; young people could drive to distant locations to meet potential romantic partners rather than being restricted to local chaperoned courtships.
The first true automobiles were powered by internal combustion engines, which burned gasoline or other fuels to produce power. Gasoline was the most common fuel in the early automobile, but it soon gave way to more environmentally friendly fuels such as ethanol and even electric power. The use of electric motors in automobiles has become increasingly common, with more and more cars using purely electric power.
One of the most important developments in automobiles was the invention of production line manufacturing by Ransom E. Olds at his Oldsmobile factory in 1902. The assembly line concept allowed a greater number of cars to be built per day, reducing the cost enough to allow mass production and ultimately lower prices for middle-class families. Other developments in automotive technology include the electric ignition and the electrical self-starter (developed by Charles Kettering for the Cadillac Motor Company in 1910-1911) and four-wheel brakes. The pistonless rotary engine design developed by Mazda has not gained widespread acceptance.
Cars also cause environmental problems by generating a large amount of harmful gases when they are operated. These gases contribute to air pollution, which can cause serious health problems for some people. This has led to the development of vehicles that run on alternative fuels such as electricity, ethanol and natural gas. In addition, some cars have features to reduce the amount of harmful gases they emit. These include catalytic converters, which reduce air pollution, and hybrid systems that combine gas and electricity.