| The word automobile comes, via the French | | | | Trouvé demonstrated a working three-wheeled |
| automobile, from the Ancient Greek word ????? | | | | automobile that was powered by electricity. This was |
| (autós, "self") and the Latin mobilis ("movable"); | | | | at the International Exhibition of Electricity in Paris.[10] |
| meaning a vehicle that moves itself, rather than being | | | | Although several other German engineers (including |
| pulled or pushed by a separate animal or another | | | | Gottlieb Daimler, Wilhelm Maybach, and Siegfried |
| vehicle. The alternative name car is believed to | | | | Marcus) were working on the problem at about the |
| originate from the Latin word carrus or carrum | | | | same time, Karl Benz generally is acknowledged as |
| ("wheeled vehicle"), or the Middle English word carre | | | | the inventor of the modern automobile.[9] |
| ("cart") (from Old North French), or karros (a Gallic | | | | An automobile powered by his own four-stroke cycle |
| wagon).[4][5] | | | | gasoline engine was built in Mannheim, Germany by |
| Historyfree articles directory Main article: History of | | | | Karl Benz in 1885, and granted a patent in January of |
| the automobile | | | | the following year under the auspices of his major |
| Ferdinand Verbiest, a member of a Jesuit mission in | | | | company, Benz & Cie., which was founded in |
| China, built the first steam-powered vehicle around | | | | 1883. It was an integral design, without the |
| 1672 which was of small scale and designed as a toy | | | | adaptation of other existing components, and |
| for the Chinese Emperor, that was unable to carry a | | | | included several new technological elements to create |
| driver or a passenger, but quite possibly, was the | | | | a new concept. This is what made it worthy of a |
| first working steam-powered vehicle | | | | patent. He began to sell his production vehicles in |
| ('auto-mobile').[6][7] | | | | 1888. |
| Although Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot is often credited with | | | | Karl Benz |
| building the first self-propelled mechanical vehicle or | | | | A photograph of the original Benz Patent |
| automobile in about 1769, by adapting an existing | | | | Motorwagen, first built in 1885 and awarded the |
| horse-drawn vehicle, this claim is disputed by | | | | patent for the concept |
| some[citation needed], who doubt Cugnot's | | | | In 1879, Benz was granted a patent for his first |
| three-wheeler ever ran or was stable. What is not in | | | | engine, which had been designed in 1878. Many of his |
| doubt is that Richard Trevithick built and | | | | other inventions made the use of the internal |
| demonstrated his Puffing Devil road locomotive in | | | | combustion engine feasible for powering a vehicle. |
| 1801, believed by many to be the first demonstration | | | | His first Motorwagen was built in 1885, and he was |
| of a steam-powered road vehicle, although it was | | | | awarded the patent for its invention as of his |
| unable to maintain sufficient steam pressure for long | | | | application on January 29, 1886. Benz began |
| periods, and would have been of little practical | | | | promotion of the vehicle on July 3, 1886, and about |
| use.free articles directory | | | | 25 Benz vehicles were sold between 1888 and 1893, |
| In Russia, in the 1780s, Ivan Kulibin developed a | | | | when his first four-wheeler was introduced along with |
| human-pedalled, three-wheeled carriage with modern | | | | a model intended for affordability. They also were |
| features such as a flywheel, brake, gear box, and | | | | powered with four-stroke engines of his own design. |
| bearings; however, it was not developed further.[8] | | | | Emile Roger of France, already producing Benz |
| François Isaac de Rivaz, a Swiss inventor, designed | | | | engines under license, now added the Benz |
| the first internal combustion engine, in 1806, which | | | | automobile to his line of products. Because France |
| was fueled by a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen | | | | was more open to the early automobiles, initially |
| and used it to develop the world's first vehicle, albeit | | | | more were built and sold in France through Roger |
| rudimentary, to be powered by such an engine. The | | | | than Benz sold in Germany. |
| design was not very successful, as was the case | | | | In 1896, Benz designed and patented the first |
| with others, such as Samuel Brown, Samuel Morey, | | | | internal-combustion flat engine, called a boxermotor in |
| and Etienne Lenoir with his hippomobile, who each | | | | German. During the last years of the nineteenth |
| produced vehicles (usually adapted carriages or carts) | | | | century, Benz was the largest automobile company in |
| powered by clumsy internal combustion | | | | the world with 572 units produced in 1899 and, |
| engines.[9]free articles directory | | | | because of its size, Benz & Cie., became a |
| In November 1881, French inventor Gustave | | | | joint-stock company. |