Automobiles are self-propelled vehicles that can travel long distances for the transport of people. It is a very important invention as it provides freedom and convenience to the people. It saves time and energy that was required to walk or to take a bus. Moreover, it gives the people the independence to choose their destinations without any trouble. Moreover, people can also make use of their automobiles in emergency situations like when their kids fall sick or during natural disasters.
The modern automobile is a complex technical system comprising many subsystems that have specific design functions. The primary function is to deliver the passenger to a destination safely and reliably. The automobile has evolved with new breakthroughs in technology that have been brought about by advances in high-strength plastics, electronic computers, and high-performance alloys of steel and nonferrous metals.
There are currently about five billion automobiles in operation worldwide, with more than three trillion miles (almost five trillion kilometres) of passenger-car travel being done each year. There are about 140 million cars in the United States, and these account for more than three-fourths of total passenger-car mileage.
The first automobiles were powered by steam engines. These were attached to wagons and worked well on dirt roads. Later, Karl Benz developed an internal combustion engine that used fuel to run. He built a prototype that his wife, Bertha, drove for a distance of more than 65 km. From there, he gained the confidence to begin large-scale production of automobiles.