Nowadays, the automotive industry is increasingly evolved. Nowadays, everyday life is guided by constant inventions, but it wasn't always like this. Having said that, what do you think the world's first automobile was like?
As of now, there are different theories on the subject. As the History Channel states, there are historians who say that the first car was designed by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot, in 1769. The same source of information suggests that the French military engineer designed a steam-powered tricycle. It is said that this was used to carry artillery.
Cugnot's vehicle was traveling at 3.65 kilometers per hour
Benz Patent-Motorwagen
Regarding the vehicle, it was known that the front wheel was responsible for steering functions. The History Channel reports that it was traveling at a speed of 3.65 kilometers per hour. The trips supposedly lasted a maximum of 15 minutes and had a maximum of four passengers on board.
The designation given to Cugnot's creation was fardier à vapeur. After each trip, what many consider to be the first automobile in history needed to stop for some time to be able to drive again.
Despite being a relevant invention at the time, Cugnot's fardier à vapeur proved to be inefficient. Driving on normal roads was difficult, and only a few years later, people began to think about gasoline-powered cars.
The possibility arises that Benz and Daimler registered the patent on the same day
This is a curious fact, but according to the same source of information, Friedrich Benz and Gottlieb Daimler registered their patents on the same day. Whether this was the case or not, there are several versions on the same subject. The most popular version even states that the first one was Benz and, only after a short time, Daimler registered it.
However, the History Channel suggests that both records were made on January 29, 1886, in different cities in Germany.
At the time, Benz and Daimler vehicles were distinguished for two different reasons. The first vehicle, called the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, would have been the first to combine an internal combustion engine with an integrated chassis. The second, the Daimler Motorized Carriage, would have been the first four-wheeled car, with “the first high-speed gasoline engine” (via History Channel).