Rudi Volti
h e b e g iinn n n g mor pr mi ng
muc
nd u to to m o b i mpl
med ns
Th ma
ti
ts
ri
la
ta H en en r
om18 om1899 99 to 1901 1901 th
M . L e a nd nd ,
father
th
te
th
te
ll
rs
larg larges estt-se sell llin in
g a so so l in in e -
te
p o w e re re d C a d i llll ac ac , of m od od e
im
e.
iv
ro
1 91 9 1 2 C ad ad i a c e le le c
s ta ta r e r m ad ad e
h e c ra ra n
is bust bustio io
co pani panies es prod prod ce ll
o bs b s o e te te .
,5
engi engine ne wa
it
le
ic
rs
's
ir
virt virtue ues. s.
s, lf
th
fi
INVENTION
TECH TECHNO NOLO LOGY GY
l.
FALL FALL 1990 1990
ri
th
la
io
ik
th
t; th
avai availa labi bili lity ty of co plem plemen enta tary ry ll
fo
echn echnol olog ogic ical al supe superi rior or
le im
re
su erio erior. r. It was,
smal smal hand handfu fu of stea stea er stra stract ct tech techni nica ca
ri
te
tech techni nica call ll
tech techno nolo logi gies es te tr
rp se
se ve
ion, inve te
by th
Em le
liding-g ar va so
rans is
in 18 1.
vas-
"brutal, ai
ca ma che"
woul
have been impossible
othing so
laborate as he internal-c
ission fo hill climbing Ye th
bustio
co plementary
ud
tors
nd igniti
system
rese te
an
ares
ws
of
St
S te am er . T h c om pa n
auto obiles
Acar's boiler si pl
coul
no
ain-
c o n i nu e b u il di n s te am e
hole
ro es
arefully
nitore
S ta n e y
m an a e d un
1 92 5
nd eg om re en ed
ut it
eratio
icle
he im lest
as hitherto
en
co ld be
elf- op ll
untve i-
superior tech olog
or it
li
tele
se
rien li
stea
rs
quirin
ss
nspicu usly
eratin
re ll to co
intelligen
an
lackin ."
team
li
unfailin
te
em ined
to op rate
re
attention.
0.,
jo
w o w om e d e ca de '
BO H:
SE VE
en
C EN TE R
de
Oh
HI
OR
stea
rs
de fe
on es
th
e le c i c a u to s h a
O R W ES T R N
nufa turers
vi ua
R ES EA RC H
N A U RA L
d is ap pe a e d .
H I T OR Y
M US EU M
OF LO
NG LE
C OU N
F AL L 1 99 0
N VE NT IO N
TECHNOLOGY
st am r' shortcomings beca er ou liab li ties unde thes circumstances. On industry ana-
th hurrying intens American public woul no give that extr touch. an team ca bo If he nterna -combustio required lo of heir operator th lectri wa sion an no di ficult ta ting
roce ure.
back
ange
er limite
pe cent ofth c u ta w a
an ea
of
tention: boiler wate level, stea
pressure main
day, charge
peed an
he batter
eigh ofth ve ic e, an electric batterie
lso, it
he pro-
typicall produc
S ta n le y s te a m e r ev ea l
it
b o e r u nd e he dr ve
u p ri gh t he ea of s ea t w i
he wa er an
be nd on
sigh glass, nd ta ater evel us to ta he ca required th manipulation of thirteen valves levers handles, an pumps. Starting up wa chor that bedevile th driv er of bo stea an nt rnal-combu ti au o-
Charle Steinmet an Thomas Edison trie un successfully to develo an improved ca battery,
i n f ro n t
ture. If first, th engine's kickback coul easily brea hi to star
east during he ir deca
On stea
enthusiast explaine th advantage: "I
mained an inefficien source of energy onetheless, he electric car' short-
ofth cen-
It battery' limitation were impor-
peated cranking on ot da ." view pu im in th minority most driver preferre cranking Even so starting an internal-combustio engine wa real strugg unti Ch rles ette in de
gasoline engine's ultimate success. Earl steamers also suffered from shor oper
an e.
perfor as long-distanc convey he firs ea of th centur 98 pe cent
an speeds averaged twenty to twenty-fiv mile ca wa ft he es availa le It capabilities were el llus ra ed 1908,whe wo an ho owne tude aker electric to speed: seventeen mph) challenged th owne of forty-horse-
roun of shopping nd ocia ca ls
it cong s-
watering trough to replenis th tank On propoered it fu ther
better take th railwa train. Th automobile's role change dramatically in
he elec ri
on by en
been considerably increase by th developmen networ of batter charging st tions. urbneve
xten iv ly
at er -exchang
useful or ong- is ance travel In te
TECHNOLOGY
FALL 1990
in te
B OT H
P AG ES , T OP :
stat on of bein
C UL VE R
P IC TU RE S
he ca wer e xp en s v e p la y h in g he ha ng of u n n in g ame was ac ua an ad an ge or bu were difficul bu hardly insurmountable
In 91 th
ra
lect ic
st tw ty-eig
hu
Electric automobiles relied
eavy
inefficien
storag
batteries-typically rt
at bottom
Bridgeport,
promotin storag
F AL L 1 99 0
N V EN T IO N
an improved battery.
TECHNOLOGY
45
worl
th profitabilit
sc ip io
ofmass production
le ri -a
to
on de
st
ti
ltim te
tu fa
re
le ri
impo
nc
th
el
If
da
ut
il
in ha
to
ig
ra ic
le ns
ta io
l,
to an
ex te
t.
te nm tz
tric
ng
ffth
es
he
cl im
ug O ld s mo bi l a bo u
ad
om
ia
1 90 6 h e a ld s
p e h ap s
bi
ob
ra io
ti
st ll
it
fa
id
prematurely-the internal-combustion a u to m o b il e' s u l ti m a t predominance.
to st
la
th
ct ic
le
is of internal-combustio
co bustio
grow ar is
cars
cars
on
l. ic
re
fi
ittl
th
th Co pellin
in as they
te ere, thes
ti
ct ic
fo extinction Th
en technica
de ands
eviden
tion of six- an ie
er tati
or
were headin
te
ro
cost considera-
as th
an
ar
th short-
internal-combustio
eight-cylinder engine
an
better
E l e c tr ic s w e r e p e r e c t mos xc ulte
ment in th
oo
triu ph
th
internal co
stio
::;
if
Th citizens of
J:
Mangum, Oklahoma show of thei automobile in
i=
panQrami view take 19 0. th
of ociety an Press, 1988).
echnological
hang
CSt.Martin's
lmos al
ar ar
ordsand
Buicks powere by internal combustion.
