Sources of power for motor vehicles

Although the internal-combustion engine is by far the best and most efficient way of powering vehicles, both steam engines and electric motors have been used although the steam engine is an external-combustion engine and therefore requires a huge boiler in order to produce steam along with the actual engine. Also, the steam engine is rather bulky and comparatively inefficient due to considerable heat losses from both the engine and boiler, not also to mention that this type of engine continues to consume fuel quite for quite some time after it has been stopped in order to maintain steam pressure, whereas, the internal-combustion engine only uses fuel when running.

Electric motors are increasingly being used to insist the internal-combustion engine such as in hybrid applications although we are also seeing the increase in cars that are ran solely by electricity. However, this has actually been around for quite some time although only in common use for the last 15 years or so as technology has improved and associated components have became considerably lighter and less bulky.

Other drawbacks of electric cars are that they have a limited operating range and therefore require fairly regular recharging, hence the continual increase in "plug-in points" for these vehicles and also the fact that they are limited on speed

A drawback of the internal-combustion engine is that it can take considerable time for it to run at its peak temperature and hence performance whereas the external-combustion engine is still emitting a small amount of steam in order to relieve pressure in the boiler and by opening of a small valve, it will be able to work straight away as like an electric motor can simply just be switched on and used.

Motor Car Evolution

Right back in times immemorable, humans had no alternative other than to carry heavy loads themselves which was not particularly pleasant on the body and both speeds and load handling abilities were severely limited. The only alternative to this was the use of domestic animals such as Horses and Donkeys, which were more often able to carry more heavy loads at a faster pace than humans were able to achieve, with people travelling in comparative comfort.

Theories have existed that sledges and even rounded tree stumps had been used as a basis to transport loads before the invention of the wheel for example; how were the ancient rocks of Stonehenge not only erected on site but how did they get there? Studies have been carried out and the rocks are believed to be native to an area of Wales and some believe they may have been placed on top of cylindrical shaped tree stumps horizontally and pushed!

Fast forward several years and we had wheeled chariots and carts which were obviously able to carry considerably more weight than their predecessors with a drawback being that the wheel needed - and still does - a relatively smooth surface on which to run without getting into ruts and abnormalities in the surface etc. Therefore, as the vehicle has evolved, so have roads.

Initially, steam engines were used to power wheeled vehicles although only a small handful were successful due to weight, low speeds and legislation, however, one successful application was in traction engines which although very slow, noisy and polluting, were able to carry more substantial loads than any road vehicle before it. One of the greatest engineers and evolutionaries of these type of engined vehicles was Cornishman Richard Trevithick 1771-1833, an inventor and mining engineer of whom produced many "steam carriages" several of which were used to assist the mining industry and process in Cornwall amongst other things.

Richard Trevithick