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History

Development started as early as the 17th century with the invention of the first steam-powered vehicle,which led to the creation of the first steam-powered automobile capable of human transportation, built by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot in 1769. Inventors began to branch out at the start of the 19th century, creating the de Rivas engine, one of the first internal combustion engines, and an early electric motorSamuel Brown later tested the first industrially applied internal combustion engine in 1826.

Development was hindered in the mid-19th century by a backlash against large vehicles, yet progress continued on some internal combustion engines. The engine evolved as engineers created two- and four-cycle combustion engines and began using gasoline as fuel. Production vehicles began appearing in 1887, when Karl Benz developed a petrol or gasoline-powered automobile and made several identical copies. Recent automobile production is marked by the Ford Model T, created by the Ford Motor Company in 1908, which became the first automobile to be mass-produced on a moving assembly line.

How Do They Work?

With gasoline-powered vehicles, an air/fuel mixture goes into the combustion chamber, after which a spark plug ignites it. It is then introduced to the chamber through a fuel injection system.

In fact, there are many different areas of the car that fuel travels through before that. These include the tank (where gasoline is stored), fuel pump (which pumps fuel into the injection system), fuel line (which takes the fuel from the pump and delivers it to the system), and fuel filler (the nozzle which helps fill the fuel tank).

First, the fuel is injected directly into the tank, before the pump brings it into the fuel line. The gas subsequently goes through a fuel filter to prevent clogging by removing waste, before fuel injectors — which combine air with fuel — deliver it into pistons.

Anyone pursuing auto careers should also understand that gasoline also goes through a four-stroke cycle process within the engine. This part of the process begins with the intake stroke, which is where fuel and air combine. This is when the intake valves open, as the combination goes into the cylinder.

After the piston descends within the cylinder, the compression stroke happens when the piston re-ascends. The air/fuel mixture then becomes compressed, which is ignited by the spark plug during the power stroke phase, eliciting combustion.

The exhaust valves open during the exhaust stroke, which pushes the combustion gases out as the piston is descending. These gases go through exhaust pipes and are then converted into substances like nitrogen and carbon dioxide, before finally being released into the atmosphere.

Advantages Of Gasoline Cars

Gasoline powered automobiles take advantage of a modern infrastructure built for their presence. With gas stations and auto repair shops around every corner, owning a gas car is both convenient and easy.

Gasoline cars are great for saving money on the upfront cost of purchasing a vehicle. Even with government rebates on electric vehicles, the cheapest gasoline powered economy cars are thousands of dollars more affordable.

When it comes to refueling and range, gas cars have a clear advantage. Most electric cars can’t travel more than 150 miles at a time, and they can take up to 8 hours to recharge. Gasoline vehicles can have a range of 400 miles or more, and they can be refueled in only a few minutes.

Disadvantages of Gasoline Cars

The gasoline engine has been the method of choice for powering cars for as long as automobiles have been in existence. Their relatively compact size, consistent function and available fuel source are a few of the many factors that have led to their dominance in transportation. However, a number of by-products from gas-powered engines have drawn mounting criticism for their level of pollutants, a stagnant fuel economy and the drain on gasoline resources.

Pollution:

One of the biggest drawbacks to using gasoline-powered cars is the amount of pollution introduced into the atmosphere. Every year, the United States alone is responsible for 1.7 billion tons of CO2 released into the atmosphere from the tailpipes of gas-powered cars, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. CO2 is one of the greenhouse gases that can have a devastating effect on the environment by contributing to melting ice caps, rising oceans and warmer climates.

Expense:

Although electric cars initially dominated the auto market, drivers switched over to gasoline almost entirely as easier and cheaper methods of transporting the fuel were discovered. However, in today's economy (2010) with a high demand, increasing gas prices and the amount people drive, gas is no longer an inexpensive commodity. Every year, the average driver can spend up to $3,000 a month in gasoline expenses, and this amount is expected to increase.

Fuel Source:

Another downside to using gasoline as the sole method to power cars is the source of the fuel. According to EPA estimates, more than 57% of the oil Americans use come from foreign sources. The majority of these foreign sources are found in the Middle East and are members of OPEC (Oil Producing and Export Countries), an organization that can manipulate the cost of oil to leave economies susceptible to major recessions based on sudden fluctuations of oil prices.