Density
From steam carts to electric fleetsOur World
Cars
Explore changing engines, factory methods, safety and the electric-car transition.
Subject guide · scope, chapters & sources ↗A selective international history of passenger motoring and its precursors. No single milestone is treated as the invention of every kind of car. The final comparison uses IEA figures for 2025, published in 2026.
Benz files his motor-car patent
A purpose-built petrol vehicle receives a defining patent application.
Bertha Benz takes the car beyond a demonstration
A journey tests the practical promise of motoring.
Steam, petrol and electricity compete
Electric cars are part of early motoring, not a recent invention.
The Model T reaches buyers
Ford introduces a car that will be built in enormous numbers.
The factory moves the work past workers
Ford applies moving assembly to car production.
A three-point belt becomes standard equipment
Volvo introduces Nils Bohlin’s restraint on Nordic-market cars.
Vehicle safety becomes a federal mandate
A US law establishes a framework for motor-vehicle standards.
The Prius brings hybrid drive to production
Toyota launches its first Prius in Japan.
Electric cars take a larger share of new sales
More than 20 million are sold worldwide in the IEA’s 2025 count.