Vehicle

A vehicle (from

• The oldest boats found by archaeological excavation are
  carbon dated to 8040–7510 BC, making it 9,500–10,000 years old,^[4][5][6][7]
• A 7,000 year-old seagoing boat made from reeds and tar has been found in Kuwait.[8]
• Boats were used between 4000 -3000 BC in Sumer,^[9] ancient Egypt^[10] and in the Indian Ocean.^[9]
• There is evidence of camel pulled wheeled vehicles about 4000–3000 BC.^[11]
• The earliest evidence of a wagonway, a predecessor of the railway, found so far was the 6 to 8.5 km (4 to 5 mi) long Diolkos wagonway, which transported boats across the Isthmus of Corinth in Greece since around 600 BC.^[12][13] Wheeled vehicles pulled by men and animals ran in grooves in limestone, which provided the track element, preventing the wagons from leaving the intended route.^[13]
• In 200 CE, Ma Jun built a south-pointing chariot, a vehicle with an early form of guidance system.^[14]
• The stagecoach, a four-wheeled vehicle drawn by horses, originated in 13th century England.^[15]
• Railways began reappearing in Europe after the Dark Ages. The earliest known record of a railway in Europe from this period is a stained-glass window in the Minster of Freiburg im Breisgau dating from around 1350.^[16]
• In 1515,
  Cardinal Matthäus Lang wrote a description of the Reisszug, a funicular railway at the Hohensalzburg Fortress in Austria. The line originally used wooden rails and a hemp haulage rope and was operated by human or animal power, through a treadwheel.^[17][18]
• 1769: Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot is often credited with building the first self-propelled mechanical vehicle or automobile in 1769.^[19]
• In Russia, in the 1780s,
  gear box and bearings; however, it was not developed further.^[20]
• 1783
  balloon
  vehicle
• 1801 Richard Trevithick built and demonstrated his Puffing Devil road locomotive, which many believe was the first demonstration of a steam-powered road vehicle, though it could not maintain sufficient steam pressure for long periods and was of little practical use.
• 1817 Pushbikes (now a British informal term for bicycles),
  draisienne (or Laufmaschine, "running machine"), invented by the German Baron Karl von Drais, is regarded as the forerunner of the modern bicycle (and motorcycle). It was introduced by Drais to the public in Mannheim in summer 1817.^[21]
• 1885
  Karl Benz built (and subsequently patented) the first automobile, powered by his own four-stroke cycle gasoline engine in Mannheim, Germany
• 1885
  gliding
  and achieved the first sustained, controlled, reproducible flights.
• 1903 Wright brothers flew the first controlled, powered aircraft
• 1907 First helicopters Gyroplane no.1 (tethered) and Cornu helicopter (free flight)^[22]
• 1928
  Opel RAK
  .1 rocket car
• 1929 Opel RAK.1 rocket glider
• 1961
  Vostok vehicle carried the first human, Yuri Gagarin
  , into space
• 1969
  Apollo Program
  first crewed vehicle landed on the moon
• 2010 The number of road motor vehicles in operation worldwide surpassed the 1 billion mark – roughly one for every seven people.^[23]

Types of vehicles

There are over 1 billion bicycles in use worldwide.^[24] In 2002 there were an estimated 590 million cars and 205 million motorcycles in service in the world.^[25][26] At least 500 million Chinese Flying Pigeon bicycles have been made, more than any other single model of vehicle.^[27][28] The most-produced model of motor vehicle is the Honda Super Cub motorcycle, having sold 60 million units in 2008.^[29][30] The most-produced car model is the Toyota Corolla, with at least 35 million made by 2010.^[31][32] The most common fixed-wing airplane is the Cessna 172, with about 44,000 having been made as of 2017.^[33][34] The Soviet Mil Mi-8, at 17,000, is the most-produced helicopter.^[35] The top commercial jet airliner is the Boeing 737, at about 10,000 in 2018.^[36][37][38] At around 14,000 for both, the most produced trams are the KTM-5 and Tatra T3.^[39] The most common trolleybus is ZiU-9.

Locomotion

Locomotion consists of a means that allows displacement with little opposition, a

Energy source

It is essential that a vehicle have a source of energy to drive it. Energy can be extracted from external sources, as in the cases of a

The energy source used to power vehicles is fuel. External combustion engines can use almost anything that burns as fuel, whilst internal combustion engines and rocket engines are designed to burn a specific fuel, typically gasoline, diesel or ethanol. Food is the fuel used to power non-motor vehicles such as cycles, rickshaws and other pedestrian-controlled vehicles.

Another common medium for storing energy is

Electrified rails and overhead cables are a common source of electrical energy on subways, railways, trams, and trolleybuses.

When needed, the energy is taken from the source and consumed by one or more motors or engines. Sometimes there is an intermediate medium, such as the batteries of a diesel submarine.^[46]

Most motor vehicles have

While intermittent internal combustion engines were once the primary means of aircraft propulsion, they have been largely superseded by continuous internal combustion engines, such as

Electric motors are used in electric vehicles such as electric bicycles, electric scooters, small boats, subways, trains, trolleybuses, trams and experimental aircraft. Electric motors can be very efficient: over 90% efficiency is common.^[52] Electric motors can also be built to be powerful, reliable, low-maintenance and of any size. Electric motors can deliver a range of speeds and torques without necessarily using a gearbox (although it may be more economical to use one). Electric motors are limited in their use chiefly by the difficulty of supplying electricity.^{[citation needed]}

Compressed gas motors have been used on some vehicles experimentally. They are simple, efficient, safe, cheap, reliable and operate in a variety of conditions. One of the difficulties met when using gas motors is the cooling effect of expanding gas. These engines are limited by how quickly they absorb heat from their surroundings.^[53] The cooling effect can, however, double as air conditioning. Compressed gas motors also lose effectiveness with falling gas pressure.^{[citation needed]}

The mechanical energy that motors and engines produce must be converted to work by wheels, propellers, nozzles, or similar means. Aside from converting mechanical energy into motion, wheels allow a vehicle to roll along a surface and, with the exception of railed vehicles, to be steered.^[57] Wheels are ancient technology, with specimens being discovered from over 5000 years ago.^[58] Wheels are used in a plethora of vehicles, including motor vehicles, armoured personnel carriers, amphibious vehicles, airplanes, trains, skateboards and wheelbarrows.

Nozzles are used in conjunction with almost all reaction engines.^[59] Vehicles using nozzles include jet aircraft, rockets, and personal watercraft. While most nozzles take the shape of a cone or bell,^[59] some unorthodox designs have been created such as the aerospike. Some nozzles are intangible, such as the electromagnetic field nozzle of a vectored ion thruster.^[60]

Continuous track is sometimes used instead of wheels to power land vehicles. Continuous track has the advantages of a larger contact area, easy repairs on small damage, and high maneuverability.^[61] Examples of vehicles using continuous tracks are tanks, snowmobiles and excavators. Two continuous tracks used together allow for steering. The largest land vehicle in the world,^[62] the Bagger 293, is propelled by continuous tracks.

Propellers (as well as screws, fans and rotors) are used to move through a fluid. Propellers have been used as toys since ancient times; however, it was

Similarly to propeller vehicles, some vehicles use wings for propulsion. Sailboats and sailplanes are propelled by the forward component of lift generated by their sails/wings.[67]^[68] Ornithopters also produce thrust aerodynamically. Ornithopters with large rounded leading edges produce lift by leading-edge suction forces.^[69] Research at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies ^[70] lead to a flight with an actual ornithopter on July 31, 2010.

Paddle wheels are used on some older watercraft and their reconstructions. These ships were known as paddle steamers. Because paddle wheels simply push against the water, their design and construction is very simple. The oldest such ship in scheduled service is the Skibladner.^[71] Many pedalo boats also use paddle wheels for propulsion.

Wheels have low bearing friction, and pneumatic tyres give low rolling friction. Steel wheels on steel tracks are lower still.[73]

Friction is desirable and important in supplying

Control

Steering

Most vehicles, with the notable exception of railed vehicles, have at least one steering mechanism. Wheeled vehicles steer by angling their front

With no power applied, most vehicles come to a stop due to

Motor vehicle and trailer categories are defined according to the following international classification:[82]

• Category M: passenger vehicles.
• Category N: motor vehicles for the carriage of goods.
• Category O: trailers and semi-trailers.

European Union

In the European Union the classifications for vehicle types are defined by:^[83]

• Commission Directive 2001/116/EC of 20 December 2001, adapting to technical progress Council Directive 70/156/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the type-approval of motor vehicles and their trailers^[84][85]
• Directive 2002/24/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 March 2002 relating to the type-approval of two or three wheeled motor vehicles and repealing Council Directive 92/61/EEC

European Community is based on the Community's WVTA (whole vehicle type-approval) system. Under this system, manufacturers can obtain certification for a vehicle type in one Member State if it meets the EC technical requirements and then market it EU-wide with no need for further tests. Total technical harmonization already has been achieved in three vehicle categories (passenger cars, motorcycles, and tractors) and soon will extend to other vehicle categories (

In many cases, it is unlawful to operate a vehicle without a license or certification. The least strict form of regulation usually limits what passengers the driver may carry or prohibits them completely (e.g., a Canadian ultra-light license without endorsements).^[86] The next level of licensing may allow passengers, but without any form of compensation or payment. A private driver's license usually has these conditions. Commercial licenses that allow the transport of passengers and cargo are more tightly regulated. The most strict form of licensing is generally reserved for school buses, hazardous materials transports and emergency vehicles.

The driver of a motor vehicle is typically required to hold a valid driver's license while driving on public lands, whereas the pilot of an aircraft must have a license at all times, regardless of where in the jurisdiction the aircraft is flying.

Registration

Vehicles are often required to be registered. Registration may be for purely legal reasons, for insurance reasons, or to help law enforcement recover stolen vehicles. Toronto Police Service, for example, offers free and optional bicycle registration online.^[87] On motor vehicles, registration often takes the form of a vehicle registration plate, which makes it easy to identify a vehicle. In Russia, trucks and buses have their licence plate numbers repeated in large black letters on the back.^{[citation needed]} On aircraft, a similar system is used, where a tail number is painted on various surfaces. Like motor vehicles and aircraft, watercraft also have registration numbers in most jurisdictions; however, the vessel name is still the primary means of identification as has been the case since ancient times. For this reason, duplicate registration names are generally rejected. In Canada, boats with an engine power of 10 hp (7.5 kW) or greater require registration,^[88] leading to the ubiquitous "9.9 hp (7.4 kW)" engine.

Registration may be conditional on the vehicle being approved for use on public highways, as in the case of the UK^[89] and Ontario.^[90] Many US states also have requirements for vehicles operating on public highways.^[91] Aircraft have more stringent requirements, as they pose a high risk of damage to people and property in the event of an accident. In the US, the FAA requires aircraft to have an airworthiness certificate.^[92][93] Because US aircraft must be flown for some time before they are certified,^[94] there is a provision for an experimental airworthiness certificate.^[95] FAA experimental aircraft are restricted in operation, including no overflights of populated areas, in busy airspace, or with unessential passengers.^[94] Materials and parts used in FAA certified aircraft must meet the criteria set forth by the technical standard orders.^[96]

Mandatory safety equipment

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In many jurisdictions, the operator of a vehicle is legally obligated to carry safety equipment with or on them. Common examples include seat belts in cars, helmets on motorcycles and bicycles, fire extinguishers on boats, buses and airplanes, and life jackets on boats and commercial aircraft. Passenger aircraft carry a great deal of safety equipment, including inflatable slides, rafts, oxygen masks, oxygen tanks, life jackets, satellite beacons and first aid kits. Some equipment, such as life jackets has led to debate regarding their usefulness. In the case of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961, the life jackets saved many people but also led to many deaths when passengers inflated their vests prematurely.

Right-of-way

There are specific real-estate arrangements made to allow vehicles to travel from one place to another. The most common arrangements are public highways, where appropriately licensed vehicles can navigate without hindrance. These highways are on public land and are maintained by the government. Similarly, toll routes are open to the public after paying a toll. These routes and the land they rest on may be government-owned, privately owned or a combination of both. Some routes are privately owned but grant access to the public. These routes often have a warning sign stating that the government does not maintain them. An example of this are

Several different metrics used to compare and evaluate the safety of different vehicles. The main three are deaths per billion passenger-journeys, deaths per billion passenger-hours and deaths per billion passenger-kilometers.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vehicles.

Look up vehicle or craft in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Automotive acronyms and abbreviations
• ISIRI 6924
• Narrow-track vehicle
• Outline of vehicles
• Personal transporter
• Propulsion
• Single-track vehicle
• Vehicular dynamics
• Vehicular metrics

References