Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Car |
CarNoun1. 4-wheeled motor vehicle; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine; "he needs a car to get to work". 2. A wheeled vehicle adapted to the rails of railroad; "three cars had jumped the rails". 3. A conveyance for passengers or freight on a cable railway; "they took a cable car to the top of the mountain". 4. Car suspended from an airship and carrying personnel and cargo and power plant. 5. Where passengers ride up and down; "the car was on the top floor". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "car" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1321. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Census | (Commerce Acquisition Regulations) Procurement regulations issued by the Department of Commerce, based on the Federal Acquisition Regulations. (references) |
Electrical Engineering | A motor vehicle used in the method of transport defined under locomotive. Source: European Union. (references) |
Mining | A. A wheeled vehicle used for the conveyance of coal or ore along the gangways or haulage roads of a mine. Also called mine car; tramcar; tub; wagon; mine wagon b. A wheeled carrier that receives and supports the load to be conveyed. Generally attached to a chain, belt, cable, linkage, or other propellingmedium. See also:tray. (references) |
Multilingual Slang | Catalan (carro), Swiss German (chlapf ). (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
An automobile, usually called a car (an old word for carriage), is a wheeled vehicle that carries its own engine. (Older terms include motor car, with "motor" referring to what is now usually called the engine, and horseless carriage.) It has seats for the driver and, almost without exception, for at least one passenger.
General
The vehicle is designed to travel on roads, although some, notably sport utility vehicles, allow off-road driving. Roads and highways are shared with other traffic such as motorcycles, tractor trailer and farm implements.
The typical vehicle has just an internal combustion engine and four wheels, although in 2001, gas-electric hybrid engine-powered cars have begun to enter the market. Other vehicles run on electricity and fuel cells. Three-wheeled automobiles have been built, but are not common due to stability problems.
Automobiles/cars come in configurations such as
See car classification.
- Bubble car
- Convertible
- Hatchback
- Sedan
- Sports coupé
- Coupé convertible
- Station wagon or Estate car
- Sport utility vehicles (SUVs)
- Pickup trucks
- Truck (or lorry)
- Van and minivan.
History
The first vehicles were steam engine powered, then electric vehicles were produced by a small number of manufacturers. Later on gasoline (petrol) and diesel engines were implemented.
Steam-powered self propelled vehicles were devised in the late 18th century. Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot successfully demonstrated such a vehicle as early as 1769.
Cugnot's invention initially saw little application in his native France, and the center of innovation passed to Britain, where Richard Trevithick was running a steam-carriage in 1801. Such vehicles enjoyed a vogue for a time, and over the next decades such innovations as hand brakes, multi-speed transmissions, and improved speed and steering were developed. Some were commercially successfull in providing mass transit, until a backlash against these large speedy vehicles resulted in passing laws that self-propelled vehicles on public roads in Britain must be proceeded by a man on foot waving a red flag and blowing a horn (!). This effectively killed road auto development in the UK for most of the rest of the 19th century, as inventors and engineers shifted their efforts to improvements in railway locomotives.
It is generally claimed that the first automobiles with gasoline powered internal combustion engines were completed almost simultaneously in 1886 by German inventors working independently, Gottlieb Daimler on 3 July 1886 in Mannheim and later Karl Benz and Wilhelm Maybach in Stuttgart. The major breakthrough came with the historic drive of Berta Benz in 1888. Steam, electric, and gasoline powered autos competed for decades, with gasoline internal combustion engines achieving dominence in the 1910s.
The first automobile patent in the United States was granted to Oliver Evans in 1789; in 1804 Evens demonstrated his first successfull self-propelled vehicle, which not only was the first automobile in the USA but was also the first amphibious vehicle, as his steam-powered vehicle was able to travel on wheels on land and via a paddle wheel in the water. On November 5, 1895, George B. Selden was granted the a United States patent for a two-stroke automobile engine. This patent did more to hinder than encourage development of autos in the USA until it was overturned on a challenge by Henry Ford.
The large scale, production-line manufacturing of affordable automobiles was debuted by Oldsmobile in 1902, then greatly expanded by Henry Ford in the 1910s. Early automobiles were often referred to as 'horseless carriages', which gives some idea of their design.
Cadillac introduced the electric-self starter in 1911. This device greatly helped the ease of use and popularity of the internal combustion engine auto.
1934 saw the introduction of front wheel drive by Citroën with the launch of their Traction Avant.
Alternative fuels for the gasoline (or petrol) engine have been around for many years. During World War II, coal gas was used. Methanol and ethanol (alcohols) are used as petrol extenders in some countries, notably in Australia and the United States. Methanol is often used as a fuel for racing cars.
Automobiles have changed the world with the advent of personal rapid transit. The automobile had a particulary strong impact on America.
In many countries, plentiful supplies of natural gas have seen methane sold as compressed natural gas (CNG) and propane sold as liquified petroleum gas (LPG) alongside petrol and diesel fuels since the 1970s. While a standard automotive engine will run on these fuels, there are some performance differences, notably a loss of power, due to the slower combustion of the alternative fuels. The power loss can often be reduced or eliminated by retuning the engine ignition, or fitting an electronic dual fuel ignition system that compensates for the slower burning fuel. The need to equip filling stations and vehicles with pressure vessels to hold these gaseous fuels and the more stringent safety inspections means that they are only economical in high mileage vehicles or if there are installation incentives. They are most economical where petrol has high taxes and the alternative fuels do not.
The many varieties of automobile racing (also called motorcar racing) collectively constitute one of the most popular categories of sport in the world.
Safety
Accidents seem as old as automobile vehicles themselves. Joseph Cugnot crashed his steam-powered "Fardier" against a wall in 1770. The first recorded automobile fatality was Henry Bliss on September 13, 1899 in New York, New York.
Every year thousands of people are killed in traffic, either by crashing into something, or by being crashed into. Major factors in accidents include driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, inattentive driving, overtired driving, road hazards such as snow, potholes and animals, and reckless driving. Special safety features have been built into cars for years (some for the safety of car's occupants only, some for the safety of others):
There are standard tests for safety in new automobiles, like the EuroNCAP. Despite these technological advances, the death toll of car accidents remains high: about 40,000 people die every year in the US, a number which increases annually in line with rising population and increased travel (although the rate per capita and per mile travelled decreases steadily), and a similar number in Europe. A much higher number of accidents result in permanent disability.
- ABS, Anti-lock Braking System, which prevents the car from skidding
- Airbags, which inflate in a crash to cushion the blow of a head on the dashboard
- ESP, Electronic Skid Prevention.
- crumple zones, which buffers the impact when the car hits something
- seat belts (or safety belts), which keep a person from being thrown forward
- cage construction
Renewable energy and the future
With heavy taxes on fuel, particularly in Europe, tightening environmental laws in the United States, particularly in California, and the possibility of further restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions, work on alternative power systems for vehicles continues.
Nowadays diesel cars can use 100% pure biodiesel, a fuel made from vegetable oils.
Attempts at building viable battery-powered electric vehicles continued throughout the 1990s (notably General Motors with the EV1), but cost, speed and inferior driving range made them unviable.
Current research and development is centred on "hybrid" vehicles that use both electric and combustion (pollution) power, and longer-term efforts are based around electric vehicles powered by fuel cells.
Other alternatives being explored involve methane and hydrogen-burning vehicles, fuel cells, and even the stored energy of compressed air (see Air Engine).
Major possible subsystems of a standard automobile
- engine
- carburetor or fuel injection
- fuel pump
- engine configuration (V8, V6, V12, straight four, six, eights, flat-fours and sixes etc).
- engine management systems
- exhaust system
- ignition system
- self starter
- pollution control devices
- turbo-chargers and superchargers
- front engine
- rear engine
- middle engine
- drivetrain
- transmission (gearbox)
- manual transmission
- automatic transmission
- 2 Wheel Drive
- 4 Wheel Drive
- differential
- limited slip differential
- axle
- Live axle
- brakes
- disc brakes
- drum brakes
- anti-lock braking systems (ABS)
- wheels and tires
- steering
- rack and pinion
- Ackermann steering geometry
- Castor angle
- Camber angle
- Kingpin
- suspension
- MacPherson strut
- wishbone
- double wishbone
- multi-link
- torsion beam
- semi-trailing arm
- axle
- body
- crumple zones
- monocoque (or unibody) construction
- interior equipment
- passive safety
- seat belts
- airbags
- controls
- seats
- ancillary equipment such as stereos, air conditioning, cruise control, positioning systems, cup holders, etc.
Related articles
- armored car
- carpool
- crash
- diesel cycle; four-stroke cycle; two-stroke cycle; Miller cycle
- future of the car
- flying car
- list of automobile manufacturers
- parking meter
- parking ramp
- road
- Road Safety
- tank
- traffic law
- urban car
- Wankel rotary engine
External links
Cars 1917 to 2003
INDEX
1. Definition
2. Synonyms
3. Crosswords
4. Usage: Modern5. Usage: Commercial
6. Images: Slideshow
7. Images: Photo Album
8. Images: Digital Art9. Sounds
10. Quotations: Familiar
11. Quotations: Fiction
12. Quotations: Non-fiction13. Quotations: Spoken
14. Quotations: Speeches
15. Usage Frequency
16. Names: Frequency17. Names: Company Usage
18. Expressions
19. Expressions: Internet
20. Translations: Modern21. Abbreviations
22. Acronyms
23. Derivations
24. Rhymes25. Anagrams
26. BibliographyCopyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
