An automobile is defined as a four-wheeled vehicle that transports up to eight people and has its own engine and motor. Automobiles can be differentiated from a truck or bus which may have more than four wheels and seat more than eight passengers. Although both types of vehicles are self-propelled and used for travel on land, the term ‘automobile’ is generally restricted to a four-wheeled vehicle that is designed to carry up to six passengers and limited amount of goods. Contrastingly, a truck is made primarily for the transportation of goods and it comprises of larger and heavier parts. On the other hand, the bus (omnibus or coach) is designed as a large public conveyance which can carry a sizeable amount of cargo. Hence, the definition of the automobile is quite intricate.

The term automobile is derived from the Greek language, wherein “auto” (self) is combined with “mobilis” (moving) to form the word “automobile”. Therefore, it perfectly defines the vehicle which is neither pulled by an animal nor pushed by another vehicle. As of 2002, the number of passenger cars worldwide amounted to 590 million, and the number keeps increasing every year.

The History of Automobiles

The origin of the automobile can be traced back to the 18th century, when inventors were designing experimental vehicles. Although many of them failed, it paved the way for successful experimental vehicles, such as the ones manufactured in the 1880s by Gottlieb Daimler and Karl Benz of Germany. In fact, they were the first people to start manufacturing automobiles commercially. In the meantime, the United States started manufacturing automobiles indigenously. James and William Packard and Ransom Olds were among the first manufacturers of automobiles in the US. In the year 1898, there were around 50 manufacturers in the US trying to meet the rising demand for automobiles. Some of the cars in the 19th century used steam-operated engines, especially the popular motor cars that were manufactured by Francis E. Stanley and Freelan O. Stanley.

In the year 1908, Henry Ford introduced the Model T, which used the revolutionary internal-combustion engine. The T Ford took 5 years to develop. Henry Ford’s assembly line system of manufacture was another trendsetter in the automotive industry. Prior to the trendsetting mass production assembly line of Ford, the coaches and buggies were hand-built by a special team of craftspeople. This innovation substantially reduced the number of automotive parts needed, as well as the number of skilled fitters. The enormously successful method of assembly operation kept Ford at the top of the automobile manufacturers’ list for almost half a century. Eventually, almost all the other competitors began following this method. Even now, the basic concepts of assembly operations haven’t changed much, although the technology deployed in the assembly lines have improved.

In the 1930s, the European automobile manufacturers started making cars which were smaller and more affordable than their American counterparts. Volkswagen became famous in the 1930s for manufacturing many of these functional yet affordable cars. In the next couple of decades, the US began producing cars that were spacious, large, and replete with luxuries that were unheard of in that era, such as automatic features. However, the negative aspect of those cars was that they were gas-guzzlers.

The automotive trend once again changed in the 1970s and 1980s as Japanese manufacturers came up with cars which were fuel-efficient and compact with added automatic features. These cars gradually started taking over the worldwide automobile market, with more and more people opting for fuel-efficient cars since fuel prices started skyrocketing globally. It also spurred the US automotive industry to manufacture similar models.

In the 1990s, the sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) and minivans witnessed a rise in demand, owing to their inherent quality of seating more passengers and their proficiency in handling long routes and rough terrains. They helped catapult the US automotive industry back to the top position of the global automotive market. However, by the turn of the 21st century, Chinese auto manufacturers joined the automotive race and they surpassed all European car manufacturers to claim the third position in automobile sales, behind the United States and Japan.

Parts of an Automobile

It is extremely common to find features such as differential, fuel injection, ignition, internal-combustion engine, lubrication, muffler, odometer, shock absorber, speedometer, steering system, suspension, tachometer, tire, and transmission in the modern automobile. The modern automobile also uses an internal-combustion engine that runs on a volatile fuel. Most often, a passenger car of today will consist of about 14,000 parts, integrating various structural and mechanical systems. Two of the most common physical components include the steel body, which harbours the passengers, and the storage space or luggage boot, which holds the cargo. Both of them sit over a solid chassis or frame that is made of steel. The automobile is powered by an internal combustion engine, and the steering as well as the accelerator and braking systems control the car’s motion and manoeuvrability. Additionally, there are some electronic systems like the battery of the car and the alternator. The subsystems of the automobile include fuel, exhaust, lubrication, cooling, suspension, and the tyres. Even though a major proportion of the automobile is made of virgin steel, a number of manufacturers are trying out petroleum-based products like plastics and vinyl to make automotive components. One of the greatest advantages of plastics and vinyl components is that they can significantly reduce the kerb weight of a passenger car (as much as 30%), thereby making them more fuel-efficient.

Manufacturing an Automobile

The time taken from the initial conceptualisation of a new automobile model to the rolling out of the manufactured product from the assembly line usually takes about three to five years. At the outset, ideas are developed on car designs to meet the tastes and preferences of the public five years in the future. It is a tough challenge to predict the future preferences of people. When the ideating stage is complete, the designers and visualisers will start to give shape to the design of the car, often using computer-aided design software and equipments. This basic design drawing is then transformed into a car model that is made of clay. Subsequently, the clay model is put under the microscope by aerodynamic engineers and styling experts. The aerodynamic engineers are concerned with the air-flow parameters and the crash test, whereas the styling experts will try to make the model more appealing and feasible for the end-user. After the clay model gets a green flag, the tool designers will start building tools to manufacture the components of the new model. Finally, the manufacturing plan is approved and then passed on to the assembly plant for mass manufacturing.

Costs and Benefits of Using Automobiles

Economically, the costs of using an automobile generally cover the cost of purchasing the car, as well as costs of repairs, maintenance, fuel, depreciation, parking fees, tyre replacements, taxes, and insurance. The benefits of automobile usage are on-demand transportation, mobility, independence, and convenience. Likewise, from a societal perspective, the costs include the cost of maintaining roads, land use, pollution, public health, health care, and also the cost incurred when disposing the vehicle at the end of its life-cycle. The benefits that the society gets from automobiles include economic benefits such as job and wealth creation, transportation provision, happiness derived from leisure and travel, and revenue generated from taxes.

Pollution Problems and Solutions

With such persistent problems as traffic snarls, air-pollution, and the shortage of fossil fuels, our society is looking for alternatives to replace the use of automobiles. A few of the established alternatives include public transit (buses, trolleybuses, trains, subways, monorails, and tramways), cycling, rollerblading, skateboarding, walking, using a velo-mobile, and even horse-back riding. Car-pooling is another option that offers great convenience to an increasing number of people. In fact, the car-pool market has experienced a prodigious growth in the US in 2006-07. Personal Rapid Transit is one of the conveyance alternatives which can get popular in the future as well.

Most of the automobiles today run on gasoline (also known as petrol) or diesel internal combustion engines. The negative aspect of these fuels is that they can cause pollution to the atmosphere. Besides, they are partly responsible for the climate change and global warming also. Moreover, the predicament of dwindling fuel supplies and stricter environmental laws are making fossil fuels unpopular of late. That is why alternative power systems are being envisaged by researchers around the world. Some of them are already integrated into modern cars. Examples of such are hybrid power systems, electric and plug-in hybrids, battery electric vehicles, hydrogen cars, bio-fuels, and a variety of alternative-fuel propelled vehicles. The highlight of these technologies is that their engines don’t release pollutants into the air. Other forthcoming environment-friendly technologies include the Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) and the Stirling engines. Furthermore, in the future, steel car bodies will most likely be replaced with bodies that are made of duraluminum, fibreglass, carbon fibre, and carbon nanotubes.

Since its invention, the automobile has helped to improve the flexibility and speed of our movements from one place to another, and it will continue to do so with better results in the future.