The automobile has become integral to work and play for people worldwide. You may have a Toyota or a Chevrolet in your garage, but those companies have come a long way in the last century. What have been the most significant changes to automobiles over the years? 

Here are the six most interesting innovations in the history of cars.

Steam Engines

Before there were V-6 and V-8 engines, people used steam engines to get around. Believe it or not, the first steam engine dates back to 1679 in China when Ferdinand Verbiest — a Flemish inventor — built a steam-powered carriage for the Chinese emperor.

In the mid-18th century, the French began using steam-powered carriages for the military. By the late 19th century, you could see steam car manufacturers in France, such as De Dion-Bouton and Gardner-Serpollet. Steam engines became popular for a while but needed to be faster, more efficient and easier to repair. It wouldn’t be long before a more powerful engine replaced steam cars.

Internal Combustion Engines

The cars you know and love today have internal combustion (IC) engines, requiring gasoline or diesel to move. You’d have to travel to the late 1700s to find the first IC engines, but they didn’t become widespread for cars until the mid-to-late 1800s.

The modern automobile goes back to 1879 when Carl Benz — whom you may know from Mercedes-Benz — invented the two-stroke engine. Seven years later, his auto manufacturing business began producing vehicles with IC engines. The Benz Patent Motorwagen has three wheels and is a far cry from the S-Class and C-Class Mercedes vehicles you know today, but it was innovative for the time.

Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles (EVs) are all the rage nowadays as automakers rapidly shift their production toward this technology. Experts predict the EV market will nearly double in value between 2023 and 2028, and reach a market volume of $906 billion by then.

EVs are becoming more prominent because of their environmental benefits, but they aren’t new technology. The first electric cars date back to the 1830s, when Robert Anderson built an electric carriage in Scotland. In the late 1800s, EVs rivaled steam and IC cars, and became mass produced. Prominent manufacturers like Studebaker began making EVs at the turn of the century but abandoned them after finding IC vehicles were cheaper to produce.

You wouldn’t see EVs return to the mainstream until the 1990s. The oil crisis and environmental movements of the late ‘70s sparked a renewed interest in EVs, leading automakers to revisit the idea. In 1997, Toyota debuted the Prius, changing the auto industry landscape with a hybrid electric vehicle.

Soybean Car

Some automobile inventions of yesteryear took off and became mainstream — even if they only lasted for a few years. However, other innovations failed to find their footing. One interesting invention of the mid-20th century was the soybean car. This vehicle was an experiment by the Ford Motor Company in the early 1940s that showed automotive creativity during the Second World War.

Back then, most automakers made steel cars and built them to weigh about 3,000 pounds. However, Henry Ford’s car only weighed 2,000 pounds and consisted of soybeans, wheat, flax, hemp and ramie. Ford built the car to experiment with agricultural materials and as an alternative to metal. World War II forced automakers like Ford to focus their resources on the war, so the company never advanced their soybean car past the experimental phase.

Three-Point Seat Belts

Hooking up your seat belt feels natural when you enter a car. In the last half-century, these straps have become lawfully required in every state except New Hampshire. Older adults may remember when seat belts weren’t widespread, making rides more dangerous.

You can thank Swedish inventor Nils Bohlin for the modern three-point seat belt, saving countless lives over the years. Bohlin’s three-point belt replaced the previous two-point device because the latter was less effective at preventing car-crash injuries.

Drivers hesitated to adopt seat belts, but they eventually became commonplace worldwide as governments passed laws requiring them. In 1984, a Gallup poll showed 65% of Americans disapproved of mandatory seat-belt laws. Some drivers even cut them out of their cars in protest.

GPS

Road trips are a lot easier in 2023 than they were in 1983. Nowadays, you have fun gadgets like portable TVs and gaming consoles to keep you entertained on long drives. As recently as 20 years ago, most people didn’t rely on technology to get around, but the invention of the global positioning system (GPS) changed everything.

You may picture the GPS as an option on your infotainment screen, but it started as a military technology in the late 1970s. By 1993, the U.S. Department of Defense had launched 24 satellites into space for tracking. GPS devices became mainstream in the 2000s, leading many drivers to use them in their cars.

Modern GPS technology has become much more accurate and user-friendly. The devices have shrunk compared to their predecessors, making them easier to transport. By the late 2000s, more people started using GPS applications on their smartphones. Nowadays, this feature is standard for Apple and Android devices, allowing you to find directions easily.

Driving Forward With Fun Technology

Nowadays, you can step into your car, crank the engine and leave your driveway in less than a minute. However, it wasn’t this easy with older vehicles. Steam-powered cars took nearly 30 minutes to reach their full power, making them highly inconvenient.

Fortunately, automobiles have dramatically improved since the early days. These six interesting innovations show how cars have evolved in the last few centuries, even if the ideas didn’t stick.