3 The first cars

Chapter 3 The first cars Gradually, inventors turned away from steam and tried different engines instead. Some were powered by gunpowder... ...but they blew up.

Others used electricity. The first electric carriages were driven by huge batteries. The only problem was- the batteries quickly ran out of power. They've stopped twice in ten minutes! Finally, an engine was made that worked using petrol. Designed by Etienne Lenoir and improved by Nicolas Otto, would this engine be able to power a carriage?

Yes! In 1886, German engineer Karl Benz designed and built the first petrol-driven vehicle. It had three wheels, one seat and a small engine at the back. Benz was delighted with his invention. You've done it!

Then, the first time he drove it in public, he crashed into a wall. Oops! But his vehicle worked and word spread. Soon other inventors were designing petrol-powered, horseless carriages- or "cars" for short.

Around the same time, another German, Gottlieb Daimler, built a wooden bicycle with an engine. His son Paul bravely took this "motorcycle" on its first ride... Good luck, Paul! ...and came safely home again.

The following year, Daimler tried his engine inside a carriage. The result was the world's first four-wheeled car. This feels much safer, Father. Where's the horse?