In this blog post, we will look at how the invention and development of automobiles have affected human life and what direction future automobiles will take.
In the 21st century, automobiles are considered an indispensable means of transportation. According to a survey conducted by the World Automobile Manufacturers Association (OICA) in 2024, there are approximately 1.4 billion cars in use worldwide. This figure represents about one-fifth of the world’s population. With the rapid industrialization of the world and the increasing importance of information exchange, cars have become one of the indispensable items for modern people. However, even though we see and use cars every day and hear stories about them everywhere, we realize that we actually know very little about them. Let’s learn more about cars, which are considered one of the greatest inventions of mankind.
A car is a means of transportation that carries people and objects by transmitting power generated by its own engine to its wheels. Humans have an instinctive desire to move from place to place. This is because the things we need are usually not close by, but far away, and in order to obtain them, either people must go to them or they must come to us. In the early days, people used basic means of transportation such as carts and horses, which later developed into steam locomotives and automobiles. Automobiles can be said to be an invention that brilliantly satisfies this human desire by dramatically reducing the amount of human effort required.
Since ancient times, humans have been devising ways to move from one place to another without using their own strength, but rather by utilizing the power of nature and animals. In this sense, means of transportation such as boats, carriages, and horses can be considered primitive means of transportation used by humans. However, as times changed, various types of transportation began to be developed in the 18th century, such as locomotives and steamships using steam engines, and the use of animals began to decline. The first automobile, the steam-powered car, was invented by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot in 1769, but it was not widely used due to many problems, such as failure to maintain internal pressure and a heavy engine. As time passed and the 19th century arrived, François Isaac de Rivasseau created a car equipped with an internal combustion engine powered by hydrogen and oxygen in 1807, but it was not commercially successful either.
Excluding these primitive automobiles, the first person to create a modern automobile using fossil fuels was Siegfried Marcus. In 1864, he invented the gasoline engine and installed it in a car, which later became the model for all cars. Over the next 20 years, he continued to develop his model, adding a clutch, brakes, steering wheel, and a better engine, and was revered as the father of the automobile during his lifetime. In reality, however, Karl Benz, who created the gasoline engine in 1886, is revered as the father of the automobile because Siegfried Marcus was of Jewish descent and all records of him were destroyed when the Nazi regime came to power.
In addition to the invention of the automobile, the most revolutionary event in automotive history was the introduction of the mass production assembly line system by Henry Ford in 1913. This revolutionized the method of automobile production, reducing production time from 12.5 hours to 1.5 hours. As a result, factory accidents decreased dramatically, and workers’ monthly salaries increased, contributing to an improvement in their quality of life. The price of automobiles also decreased, and in 1908, a Model T could be purchased with two months’ salary of a factory worker at the time. This played a major role in the rapid spread of automobiles in the United States compared to European countries that did not introduce the system. Today, based on the Ford system, almost all companies produce various types of cars using robots.
Now, let’s take a look at the structure of a car. A car is broadly composed of the outer body and the chassis, which are connected to each other. The body consists of the engine compartment, passenger compartment, and trunk, and is divided into a frame type, where the body and frame are separated, and an integrated type, where they are combined into a single structure. The chassis includes the engine, power transmission system, steering, suspension, and braking system. The power transmission system transfers power generated by the engine to the wheels via the clutch, transmission, and axles. The steering system controls the direction of the car and consists of a steering mechanism, gear mechanism, and link mechanism. The suspension system, also known as the suspension, directly affects the ride comfort of a car. Recently, new types of cars that do not use conventional internal combustion engines, such as hybrid cars, hydrogen cars, and electric cars, are being developed, and as a result, the structure of cars, especially their internal structure, is becoming very diverse. Nevertheless, the features listed above are common to most cars, regardless of their type.
Nowadays, there are many more types of cars being manufactured than in the past. As a result, the criteria for classifying cars have become vague, but they can be broadly classified according to the type of power source, purpose, and size. First, according to the type of power source, there are gasoline, diesel, flex-fuel, electric, and hydrogen cars, which are produced in response to the growing demand for eco-friendly cars in modern times. In addition, cars are classified into small, medium, and large sizes, and their uses are divided into passenger cars, vans, trucks, and special-purpose vehicles.
The convenience of owning a car and being able to go wherever you want is a necessity for modern people. However, along with the advantages, there are various personal costs, such as the price of the car, repairs, fuel costs, insurance, taxes, and parking fees, as well as social costs, such as road repairs, land use, traffic congestion, and vehicle disposal. Among these, the most serious issue is the environmental aspect. Recently, many new cars with relatively low environmental impact, such as hydrogen fuel cell, electric, and hybrid cars, have been developed, but they have not yet reached the commercialization stage, and most cars still use gasoline or diesel fuel. Gasoline and diesel, which emit 8.8 kg and 10 kg of CO2 per gallon, respectively, have been in use since the early 19th century and are still in use today. The accumulation of exhaust gases from their use has caused major environmental problems such as global warming. In response, governments are encouraging consumers to use more efficient vehicles through road taxes and fuel taxes.
With the advancement of technology in the 21st century, new types of cars that have less impact on the environment, such as hybrid, electric battery, and hydrogen cars, are being developed. On the other hand, there are also plans to reduce the number of cars by introducing self-driving cars. This would reduce environmental pollution by introducing a large number of taxis that operate on the roads at all times and encouraging people to use them instead of private cars, thereby reducing the absolute number of private cars. Although these cars are still in the experimental stage and have not yet been put into practical use, they are likely to open a new chapter in the automotive age once their efficiency is further improved.
Cars, which have had a tremendous impact on human history and played a major role in the development of society, have become one of the essential items of modern life. Cars, which play an important role in transporting people and goods, will continue to evolve and make our lives more convenient. The serious environmental problems caused by high exhaust emissions must be addressed, and this is something that must be looked into first in order to achieve further development. In addition, if issues such as the increasing number of vehicles and the rise in traffic accidents are resolved, the future of cars will be limitless.
