Cars Flashcards
Who was the first inventor of the gas motor? When?
Belgian Mechanic Étienne Lenoir in 1859
What is gasoline derived from?
Petroleum
True or False: Gasoline engines required batteries?
True. Engines needed electric sparks to be set off
Lenoir’s 1862 motor used what material?
A compressed mix of coal and gas
Why did Lenoir’s 1862 motor fail to make an impact?
It used too much gas
Who made the first functional motor automobile? When?
Joseph Cugnot, 1769. It relied on a steam engine
Why did Cugnot’s motor car fail to make an impact?
It was too slow
What was Alphonse Beau de Rochas’s contribution to automobiles. When?
in 1862 he patented the concept of the four-stroke engine but did not build a prototype, basically setting back engine development in France for the duration of the patent
Who made the first four-stroke engine. Which country was he from?
Nikolaus August Otto. Germany
What was the first four-stroke engine used for?
As a stationary prime mover in factories
Who did Gottlieb Daimler work for?
Nikolaus August Otto
What did Daimler adjust in existing engines?
Replaced coal gas with petroleum
When did Daimler patent his own engine?
1885
Why did Daimler not build a second car until 1889?
The money was in prime movers for factories, not cars
When did Daimler build his car?
1886
When did Karl Benz build his first car?
1885-1886
Describe the process of retrieval in the early automobile construction?
Early automobiles and other vehicles with gas engines closely resembled existing horse-drawn or pedal technology, just with added motors.
How did American manufacturers learn about cars in Germany?
In a globalized world, magazines and reviews containing information on Cars could reach the United States in weeks
Disappearance of what from streets have cars a good opportunity?
Farm animals
When was the first electric car built? By whom?
Walter C. Baker and F. Phillip Dorn in 1897
When did an electric car set the land speed record? What was the speed?
1899; 106 km/h
When did a steam car set the land speed record? What was the speed?
1902; 121 km/h
What was a major steam car manufacturing company?
Stanley Automobile Manufacturing
When did Stanley Automobile Manufacturing produce cars?
1897-1927
What were limitations on early electric cars?
They had very little seating capacity, short distances from battery, low horsepower
What speed did a specially designed “Stanley Steamer” set in 1906?
204 km/h
How long did some companies, especially Edison’s electric supply companies, hold on to electric trucks?
Through the 1920s and as late as 1947
Which company did Canadian company McLaughlin partner with in 1918 instead of going out of business?
General Motors
What did McLaughlin do between 1915 and 1918
Turned out Canadian versions of the Buick and Chevrolet
Did Ford invent any new techniques?
No, not really. Most of the manufacturing methods had been in existence before. Ford combined them
Why did the streetcar lose out against buses?
1) The development of car engines aided the bus
2) Publicly funded streetcars in-use were becoming old and worn down. Private buses were new and fancy
3) Streetcars were less manoeuvrable
4) Streetcars required far more infrastructure
5) Streetcar lines often had financial obligations to the city (cleaning roads) that bus companies did not
6) Buses had seats for each traveller, meaning better comfort
How did companies stick around after Ford took over the market?
1) Adopt Ford’s methods (GM, Chrysler)
2) Create some features that make your car unique
3) Produce luxury cars
What political commentary was Charlie Chaplin doing with Modern Times
Criticizing fordism and modern factory work for dehumanizing the worker
Which two developments informed eugenics and Ford’s aptitude tests?
Scientific racism +IQ testing
What was Ford’s aptitude test?
Placing workers into different types of jobs depending on their scores
Why did Ford choose to make a gas car as opposed to electric or steam?
he liked gas’s power and speed
What were leaf springs used for in the Model T?
Absorbing shocks as a suspension
How did the car’s storage capacity increase over time?
Grew larger