History's Innovative Autos
Ever since automobiles hit the market in the
late 19th century, carmakers have vied to design the vehicle that would change
personal transportation forever. Now, in the face of rising fuel costs and
concerns about the environment, consumers and governments are also calling for
change. Ironically, some of the technologies that could help drive the car of
the future have been around for a century. In this slide show, explore nine
automotive innovations—some promising and some perilous—that arose
from the fertile minds of early engineers.—Rima Chaddha
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Jet engines
During World War II, automotive companies
inspired by advances in jet engines tried to adapt the technology for use in
cars. Chrysler's so-called Turbine Car (left) used a rotary fan,
propelled by rapidly burning fuel, to drive the vehicle. By 1963, such
experimental turbine engines could run on gasoline, jet fuel, or even vegetable
oil, and like actual jet engines, they provided powerful acceleration. But they
also suffered from significant problems, among them high fuel consumption.
Rover's Jet-1, for instance, traveled just six miles per gallon.
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Nuclear propulsion
The Ford Nucleon concept car symbolized the
1950s Atomic Age, when nuclear energy seemed to offer a clean alternative to
traditional fuels. Engineers proposed that the Nucleon (left) would be powered
by a small nuclear reactor, which would split atoms to release energy in the
form of heat. The heat would convert stored water into steam, and the steam
would propel turbine fans to drive the engine. But the envisioned pint-sized
reactors Ford was counting on to be developed did not materialize, even as
recognition of the inherent danger did. In the end, no working prototypes were
built.
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Steam
Steam cars were in vogue by the late 19th
century. Of these, the Stanley Steamer (left), produced from 1896 to 1924, was
the most popular, often outselling conventional gas-powered cars. It even
reached a record-breaking 127 mph in 1906. The Steamer burned gasoline or
kerosene to heat water in a boiler; the boiling water then generated steam, and
pressure from the steam powered the engine. Their price tag doomed steam cars
by the start of the Great Depression, however. Steamers cost thousands of
dollars apiece, compared to Ford's Model T, which sold for less than
$500.
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Compressed air
In 1979, as America found itself embroiled in
an energy crisis, Missouri-based engine designer Terry Miller built a car that
ran on an abundant, zero-emission fuel source—air. Compressed-air engines
had been used in some locomotives and trucks since the 1800s, but Miller
streamlined the design for his Air Car One (left). Pressure generated by the
release of compressed air from onboard tanks drove the car's engine.
Miller's vehicle was never commercially produced, but interest remains.
India's Tata Motors, for one, may have a compressed-air car on the
country's roads by 2008.
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Electric
Automakers have produced electric cars off and
on for over a century. Ohio-based Baker Motor Vehicle Co. was among the most
successful, selling thousands of its electrics to wealthy consumers (including
Thomas Edison) from 1899 to 1915. But while each Baker (left, a 1912 model) ran on no
fewer than 12 cell batteries, its top speed was just 14 miles per hour. In
contrast, many less expensive, gas-powered cars could exceed 40 mph. Today, as
gas prices soar and battery technology improves, all-electric cars might well
make a comeback.
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Gas-electric hybrid
In 1901, Czech engineer Ferdinand Porsche
unveiled the Mixte (left). French for "mixed," the car was a
forerunner to today's gas-electric hybrids, which use less gasoline and
create fewer emissions than conventional gas-powered cars. But unlike Porsche's
later sports cars, the Mixte was too far ahead of its time. The four-seater
model required nearly two tons of batteries, which made it too expensive to be
produced in bulk. (The model seen here is a two-seater.) Improved battery
technologies have helped reduce costs and allow modern hybrids like
Toyota's Prius to sell increasingly well.
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Solar electric
In 1987, General Motors harnessed solar rays
to help run its Sunraycer experimental racing vehicle (left). The
Sunraycer's photovoltaic cells converted the sun's energy directly
into electrical energy; the electricity then powered an electric motor that
drove the car. Although similar technology is still used in special aerodynamic
racecars, any purely solar-powered road vehicle designed to meet general safety
standards would be larger and much heavier than the Sunraycer, requiring more
power than can yet be generated to achieve highway speeds.
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Biofuels
Henry Ford (left, at the wheel of a Model T)
designed his "Tin Lizzie" to run on either gasoline or a hemp-based
fuel. But with the discovery of large crude-oil deposits in the early 20th
century, oil prices dropped and gasoline derived from the oil became
Ford's and other carmakers' fuel of choice. Unlike fossil fuels,
biofuels come from renewable resources, typically plants. Although biofuels
have many advocates, skeptics point out that they currently require too many
resources to be used on a widespread commercial basis.
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Hydrogen fuel cells
Fuel cells combine fuel (usually hydrogen) and
oxygen to produce electricity through chemical reactions similar to those that
occur in batteries. While some automakers are now trying to develop hydrogen
fuel-cell cars, General Motors actually designed its own, the Electrovan, as
early as 1966. While the Electrovan (left) could travel up to 70 mph and 120
miles between refuelings, it was too expensive to produce commercially. Recent
advances have made affordable fuel cells more likely, and in 2003 the U.S. Congress
pledged $1.2 billion to make such vehicles cost-effective by 2020.
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