Car

A car, or an automobile, is a <a href="/facts/Motor_vehicle/AaXamA0w">motor vehicle</a> with <a href="/facts/Wheel/SlIWX3xd">wheels</a>. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on <a href="/facts/Road/3aadH4s3">roads</a>, <a href="/facts/Car_seat/MQbMHqSW">seat</a> one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport <a href="/facts/Private_transport/dqJyvMy2">people</a> rather than <a href="/facts/Cargo/0aDk22Yl">cargo</a>. There are around one billion cars in use worldwide.
The French inventor <a href="/facts/Nicolas-Joseph_Cugnot/36NvwWwW">Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot</a> built the first steam-powered road vehicle in 1769, while the Swiss inventor <a href="/facts/Fran%25C3%25A7ois_Isaac_de_Rivaz/Vyrv7CGq">François Isaac de Rivaz</a> designed and constructed the first internal combustion-powered automobile in 1808. The modern car—a practical, marketable automobile for everyday use—was invented in 1886, when the German inventor <a href="/facts/Carl_Benz/fJM2Gl63">Carl Benz</a> patented his <a href="/facts/Benz_Patent-Motorwagen/l6oHDuQV">Benz Patent-Motorwagen</a>. Commercial cars became widely available during the 20th century. The 1901 <a href="/facts/Oldsmobile_Curved_Dash/G24D7MKU">Oldsmobile Curved Dash</a> and the 1908 <a href="/facts/Ford_Model_T/wNywoygq">Ford Model T</a>, both American cars, are widely considered the first mass-produced and mass-affordable cars, respectively. Cars were rapidly adopted in the US, where they replaced <a href="/facts/Carriage/smJk2qEk">horse-drawn carriages</a>. In Europe and other parts of the world, demand for automobiles did not increase until <a href="/facts/Aftermath_of_World_War_II/htgyL1tJ">after World War II</a>. In the 21st century, car usage is still increasing rapidly, especially in China, India, and other <a href="/facts/Newly_industrialised_countries/FoGN9n5F">newly industrialised countries</a>.
Cars have controls for <a href="/facts/Driving/wRv4PUGd">driving</a>, <a href="/facts/Parking/rw7QVHLv">parking</a>, <a href="/facts/Passenger/ToMPuxdY">passenger</a> comfort, and a variety of <a href="/facts/Electric_lamp/v3fb5WBp">lamps</a>. Over the decades, additional features and controls have been added to vehicles, making them progressively more complex. These include <a href="/facts/Rear_view_camera/T3LaCL5L">rear-reversing cameras</a>, <a href="/facts/Automobile_air_conditioning/j79EhjwS">air conditioning</a>, <a href="/facts/Automotive_navigation_system/WKCh5wt8">navigation systems</a>, and <a href="/facts/In-car_entertainment/FDuCjmBy">in-car entertainment</a>. Most cars in use in the early 2020s are propelled by an <a href="/facts/Internal_combustion_engine/Ju4BXzj0">internal combustion engine</a>, fueled by the <a href="/facts/Combustion/ohQoWj8z">combustion</a> of <a href="/facts/Fossil_fuel/BPgxAqB7">fossil fuels</a>. <a href="/facts/Electric_car/agINmGGQ">Electric cars</a>, which were invented early in the <a href="/facts/History_of_the_automobile/gxMv3Wlo">history of the car</a>, became commercially available in the 2000s and are predicted to cost less to buy than petrol-driven cars before 2025. The transition from fossil fuel-powered cars to electric cars features prominently in most <a href="/facts/Climate_change_mitigation_scenarios/MCHKP59V">climate change mitigation scenarios</a>, such as <a href="/facts/Project_Drawdown/8DjxhWJa">Project Drawdown</a>'s 100 actionable solutions for climate change.
There are <a href="/facts/Economics_of_car_use/fjoSUWnC">costs and benefits to car use</a>. The costs to the individual include acquiring the vehicle, interest payments (if the car is financed), repairs and <a href="/facts/Service_(motor_vehicle)/zXI1dITE">maintenance</a>, fuel, <a href="/facts/Depreciation/IjXBdxmx">depreciation</a>, driving time, parking fees, taxes, and <a href="/facts/Vehicle_insurance/undu6j39">insurance</a>. The costs to society include maintaining roads, <a href="/facts/Land_use/BAMqwQcG">land-use</a>, <a href="/facts/Road_congestion/CTl1sfGX">road congestion</a>, <a href="/facts/Air_pollution/zmk9Dy7S">air pollution</a>, <a href="/facts/Noise_pollution/dVwYwHMM">noise pollution</a>, <a href="/facts/Public_health/4563Kre9">public health</a>, and <a href="/facts/Vehicle_recycling/7dNvPR9V">disposing of the vehicle at the end of its life</a>. <a href="/facts/Traffic_collisions/hW5yXKq3">Traffic collisions</a> are the largest cause of injury-related deaths worldwide. Personal benefits include on-demand transportation, mobility, independence, and convenience. Societal benefits include economic benefits, such as job and wealth creation from the <a href="/facts/Automotive_industry/fGFKUIlA">automotive industry</a>, transportation provision, societal well-being from leisure and travel opportunities. People's ability to move flexibly from place to place has <a href="/facts/Societal_impacts_of_cars/M5gz0Tfa">far-reaching implications for the nature of societies</a>.

Car open-in-new

Car