These days, cars have a whole host of advanced features. However, it’s important to consider how cars got to where they are today. There have been many important car inventions which have allowed for them to become so popular. Knowing the history can help you appreciate your car just a bit more…
Car Inventions: Important Steps
Vulcanized rubber
Vulcanized rubber is one of the key car inventions that actually came before the car itself. Back in the 1830’s, rubber was becoming pretty popular in America. The problem was that it could melt pretty easily in the heat, especially in the summer. Therefore, there needed to be a way to stop the rubber from melting.
That’s where Charles Goodyear comes into play. Goodyear spent years trying to stabilize rubber, even while heavily in debt. In 1839, after a round of testing, Goodyear tried adding sulfur to rubber, and found it helped harder the rubber. This was the creation of vulcanization, which would allow for car tires to be made in the future.
Assembly line
Plenty of people know how important the assembly line was in terms of car inventions. Still, not everyone knows the real story behind it. Contrary to popular belief, Henry Ford didn’t invent the assembly line. In fact, the first assembly line was actually made in 1901 by Ransom E. Olds, the found of the Oldsmobile company.
At his factory, Olds had the cars placed on wheeled stands, allowing them to move to the workers. Using this method, Olds was able to produce 20 cars per day. Ford does still deserve some credit, though. He was able to take the concept and improve on it dramatically, leading to the ultimate takeoff of the car industry.
Gasoline
Of course, gasoline is another of the important car inventions. More specifically, a way to make gas faster. Oil companies had been making gas since the mid-1800’s, as a by-product of kerosene. But, once gas-powered engines hit the scene a few decades later, they needed a way to make gas much more quickly.
The breakthrough would come from two chemical engineers at Standard Oil in 1913. William Burton and Robert Humphreys had been trying to use chemical with no luck. Instead, they tried to apply heat and pressure to the oil. This proved to be much faster, and doubled the amount of gas created.