During the first half of the twentieth century, the automotive industry in the United States and Japan grew rapidly. The demand for automobiles was fueled by economic development and higher per capita income. In the United States, the influx of cheap raw materials facilitated the mechanization of industrial processes.
By the 1920s, the gasoline-powered automobile had overtaken the streets of the United States. The introduction of assembly lines and mass production techniques by Ford paved the way for mass personal “automobility.”
Automobiles are the most common form of transport in the modern world. They are highly complex technical systems that feature thousands of component parts. The design of a vehicle depends on the needs of the user. They are used to carry passengers, goods, and military personnel.
The development of automobiles is based on scientific building blocks that date back several hundred years. A number of scientific innovations and breakthroughs have helped to shape the technological evolution of automobiles.
The Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens invented the internal combustion engine in the late 1600s. During the mid-Victorian era, bicycle builder Ernest Michaux created a similar contraption.
The invention of the internal combustion engine, however, was only a small part of the story. The automobile as we know it today evolved from new technology and safety legislation. In the 1920s, the introduction of Ford’s Model T changed the way we buy and use cars. The Ford’s mass production techniques made its cars more affordable to middle class families.