Mechanical Engineering

18Over time, the word "automobile" was replaced by "motor car". Motor car" is attested from 1895, and is the usual formal name for cars in British English. The term "horseless carriage" was used by some to refer to the first cars at the time that they were being built, and is attested from 1895. An abbreviated form, "auto" is now considered as old-fashioned. The word is still used in some compound forma-tions in American English, like "auto industry" and "auto mechanic". English and American dictionaries give a number of definitions of an automobile: a) any wheeled vehicle; b) a (road) vehicle with four wheels that can carry a small number of people; c) a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine; d) a motorized vehicle that consists of 4 wheels, and is powered by an inbuilt engine; e) a passenger vehicle that is designed for operations on roads and usually having 4 wheels and a diesel or gasoline internal-combustion engine. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to six people, typically have four wheels and be constructed principally for the transport of people rather than goods. Many types of vehicles do similar tasks. Automobiles generally use gasoline to fuel, but technological ad-vances have led to the design of cars that can run on electricity and even water. The history of an automobile is very rich and dates back to the 15th century. It was not invented in a single day by a single inventor. The history of an automobile reflects the evolution that took place worldwide. It is estimated that over 100,000 patents created the modern automobile. However, we can point to the many firsts that occurred along the way. The first theoretical plans, designs and models for transport vehicles were drawn up by both Leonardo da Vinci and Is...