Automobiles are vehicles designed to be driven on roads, with seating for passengers. Almost all automobiles burn a fuel to make an internal combustion engine (called a motor in American English) run. The motor’s power is transmitted to the wheels through a set of gears. The most common fuel is gasoline, called petroleum or gas in American English. Some automobiles also use electricity, wind, or another energy source.
Cars have revolutionized modern life by allowing people to travel long distances in a short time. They have brought jobs and entertainment to far-flung places, helped raise standards of living in developing countries, contributed to the development of cities, and made possible new lifestyles, including suburbanization. However, automobiles can also be dangerous when they are driven recklessly or in bad weather conditions. They can also pollute the environment and cause traffic jams if too many of them are driven at the same time.
The first automobiles were steam or electric powered. In the late 1700s, Gottlieb Wilhelm Daimler of Germany developed a more efficient engine that could be used to drive a vehicle. He built a prototype in 1885. It was called the Stahlradwagen, but it never went into production. Emile Levassor and Armand Peugeot of France began producing cars with engines from Daimler, establishing the European auto industry. Karl Benz of Germany invented the first modern automobile, the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, in 1888 or 1889. It had a four-stroke, liquid-fueled internal combustion engine.