Vehicle
This article is about the means of transport. For the political meaning, see electoral vehicle. For the economics meaning, see economic vehicle. For the post-rock band Vehicle, see Vehicle.
Vehicles are non-living means of transportation. They are most often man-made , although some other means of
transportation which are not made by man can also be called vehicles; examples include
icebergs and floating tree trunks.
Vehicles may be propelled by animals, e.g. a
chariot or an ox-cart. However, animals on their own, though used as a means of transportation, are not called vehicles.
Encyclopedia
:
This article is about the means of transport. For the political meaning, see electoral vehicle. For the economics meaning, see economic vehicle. For the post-rock band Vehicle, see Vehicle.
Vehicles are non-living means of transportation. They are most often man-made , although some other means of
transportation which are not made by man can also be called vehicles; examples include
icebergs and floating tree trunks.
Vehicles may be propelled by animals, e.g. a
chariot or an ox-cart. However, animals on their own, though used as a means of transportation, are not called vehicles. This includes humans carrying another human, for example a child or a disabled person.
Most land vehicles have
wheels. Please see the
wheel article for examples of vehicles with and without wheels.
Movement without the help of a vehicle or an animal is called locomotion. The word
vehicle itself comes from the Latin
vehiculum.
Mechanical Road-Vehicles
Bicycle
see Bicycles see main article History of the bicycleTricycle
see TricycleElectric Road Carriages
see electric vehicle
see
history of the electric vehicleSteam Road Carriage
After the period of the steam road coach ended by 1840, interest in mechanical road transport then lapsed, and it was many years before any serious attempts where made to develop further the use of steam power on ordinary roads. The steam driven locomotive from this epoch no doubt influenced them, and convinced them that steam-driven private carriages were feasible.
Thomas Rickett of Buckingham
Hence, in 1858, Thomas Rickett of
Buckingham built the first of several steam carriages. Instead of looking like a carriage it resembled a small locomotive. It consisted of a steam-engine mounted on three wheels; two large driven rear-wheels and one smaller front wheel by which the vehicle was steered. The whole was driven by a
chain drive and a maximum speed of twelve miles per hour was reached. The weight of the machine was 1.5 tonnes and somewhat lighter than Rickett's steam carriage.
Two years later, in 1860, Rickett built a similar but heavier vehicle. This model incorporated spur-gear drive instead of chain. In his final design, resembling a railway locomotive, the cylinders were coupled directly outside the cranks of the driving-axle.
H.P. Holt
H.P. Holt constructed a small road-steamer in 1866. Able to reach a speed of twenty miles per hour on level roads, it had a vertical boiler at the rear and two separate twin cylinder engines, each of which drove one rear wheel by means of a
chain and sprocket wheels.
Catley and Ayres of York
In 1869, a small three wheeled vehicle propelled by a horizontal twin cylinder engine which drove the rear axle by spur-gearing; only one rear wheel was driven, the other turning freely on the axle. A vertical
fire-tube boiler was mounted at the rear with a polished copper casing over the fire box and chimney; the boiler was enclosed in a mahogany casing. The front wheel was used for steering and the weight was only 19 cwt.
J.H. Knight of Farnham
1868 - 1870,
John Henry Knight of
Farnham built a four wheeled steam carriage which originally only had a single-cylinder engine.
R.W. Thomson of Aberdeen
1871, The road-steamer of R.W. Thomson of
Aberdeen became famous because of wheels were shod with heavy solid rubber tyres.
Charles Randolph of Glasgow
1872, a steam-coach by Charles Randolph of
Glasgow was 15 feet in length, weighed four and a half tons, but had a maximum speed of only 6 miles per hour; somewhat underpowered. Two vertical twin-cylinder engines where independent of one another and each drove one of the rear wheels by spur-gearing. The entire vehicle was enclosed and fitted with windows all around , carried six people, and even had two driving-mirrors for observing traffic approaching from behind; the earlier recorded instance of such a device.
R. Neville Grenville of Glastonbury
In 1875, R. Neville Grenville of
Glastonbury constructed a 3 wheeled steam vehicle and is still in existence. It traveled a maximum of 15 miles per hour. This vehicle is preserved in the
Bristol city museum.
Amedée Bollée of Le Mans
In 1880, Amedée Bollé of
Le Mans built a steam-coach. It display an interesting modern lay-out which closely resemble that of much later
motor cars.
Steam Tricycle
- See steam tricycle
...
At the other end of the scale much lighter steam vehicles where being constructed such as the steam tricycle from the Comte de Dion in 1887.
Petroleum Motor-Carriages
- See motor-carriage
- See Ford's model T
- See Automobile
Road trains
A
road train is a truck design used in remote areas of Australia to move bulky loads efficiently.
The Motor Cycle
- See Motorcycle
- See Gottlieb Daimler
Mechanical Rail-Vehicles
- see Trains
- see Trams
Mechanical water vehicles
- see Boats
- see Ships
Mechanical under-water vehicles
- see submarines
Mechanical air vehicles
- see aircraft
Mechanical snow vehicles
- see snowcraft
Types of vehicles
Acronyms and abbreviations
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