In this blog post, we’ll explore the definition, history, structure, operating principles, types, and future trends of cars—which are so closely intertwined with our daily lives.
What exactly is a car?
One of the things modern people rely on most in their daily lives—whether commuting to work, going on dates, shopping, or traveling—is transportation. There are various modes of transportation, such as bicycles, cars, trains, subways, and airplanes, but among them, the car is the most accessible. You don’t even have to go far—just look at the parking lot near your home or the nearby streets to see that there are countless cars all around us. Taxis and buses, which many people use regularly, are also types of cars. In this post, I’d like to explain cars, which are so inextricably linked to our daily lives.
A car can be defined as “a mode of transportation that uses its own engine, electric motor, or other power source to drive its wheels and transport passengers or cargo on roads.” The Korean Industrial Standard (KS) describes a car as a vehicle equipped with a power source and a steering system capable of traveling on land. By comparing these definitions to the cars we see and use every day, we can more easily understand their functions and purposes.
How did the automobile come into being and evolve?
Having become an essential part of modern society, how did the automobile come into being, and what process has it undergone to evolve into what it is today? Even before the invention of the automobile, people recognized the need for more convenient modes of transportation and created various means of travel. Representative examples include using animals such as horses or oxen directly; animal-powered vehicles like carriages and oxcarts; and human-powered vehicles like palanquins and rickshaws.
The idea of avoiding the use of living creatures as a power source gradually evolved through various attempts, including the sail-powered wheeled vehicle built by Simon Stevin of the Netherlands in 1569 and the concept of reaction propulsion proposed by Isaac Newton in the 17th century. This trend culminated in 1769 when Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot of France built a steam-powered automobile. Although it differed significantly from today’s automobiles in terms of speed, safety, and driving performance, it holds historical significance as one of the first automobiles to move under its own power using mechanical force.
Subsequently, research on steam-powered automobiles flourished throughout Europe. In the 1820s and 1830s, steam-powered cars and steam buses began operating in earnest, primarily in the United Kingdom, and by the mid-19th century, early electric vehicles powered by rechargeable batteries had also appeared. Subsequently, as internal combustion engine technology advanced rapidly, automobiles also made tremendous strides.
The basic structure of modern automobiles was established by the vehicles developed by the German companies Daimler and Benz. In particular, the 1901 Mercedes featured an engine mounted at the front of the vehicle, with power transmitted to the drive wheels via a clutch and transmission. It had a significant influence on establishing the basic form of modern automobiles, including pneumatic tires, a round steering wheel, and a radiator.
How does a car run?
Next, let’s explore the principles behind how a car is powered. While there are differences depending on the model, today’s cars generally consist of 20,000 to 30,000 or more parts that work together seamlessly to move the vehicle. If even a single part fails to function properly, the safety of the occupants can be threatened, and this can have significant societal implications. A prime example is the massive Toyota recall that occurred in 2009–2010.
As safety-related defects, including issues with the accelerator pedal, were raised, large-scale recalls took place worldwide, serving as a reminder of the importance of automotive safety management. While every part of a car plays a crucial role, it is difficult to explain all of them in detail; therefore, we will focus on the car’s basic structure to examine how it operates.
A car is broadly composed of the body and the chassis. The body is the part that accommodates passengers and cargo; in the case of passenger cars, it must offer excellent comfort, safety, and convenience. It also protects occupants from external impacts and defines the vehicle’s overall appearance.
The chassis is the part that actually performs the vehicle’s functions and consists of the engine or drive motor, the powertrain, and the wheels. First, the engine is the core component of a car, functioning much like the human heart. In internal combustion engine vehicles, the energy generated by the combustion of fuel and air is transmitted to the crankshaft. To draw an analogy with the human body, this is similar to using energy obtained from food to supply blood throughout the body. The crankshaft, which converts the reciprocating motion of the pistons into rotational motion, rotates using the energy it receives; this rotational force is then converted through the transmission into the appropriate drive force and speed for the driving conditions and transmitted to the wheels.
If the driving force is transmitted to the front wheels, it is called front-wheel drive (FWD); if to the rear wheels, rear-wheel drive (RWD); and if to all four wheels, all-wheel drive (AWD or 4WD). The driving force and speed determined by the transmission are transmitted to the road surface via the wheels, causing the vehicle to move forward. Recently, with the increasing adoption of electric vehicles, the number of vehicles powered by electric motors instead of internal combustion engines is growing rapidly; however, the basic principle of transmitting power to the wheels to move the vehicle remains the same. In addition, numerous other components perform their respective roles, but the basic structure of a car is as described above, and the related devices—including the crankshaft and transmission—are collectively referred to as the powertrain.
How Do You Operate a Car?
Although a car’s structure is very complex, consisting of numerous parts, the way a driver operates it is relatively simple. A car is driven using the steering system, transmission, and pedals. Turning the circular steering wheel changes the direction of the front wheels, allowing the driver to move the vehicle in the desired direction.
A vehicle in which the driver manually operates the transmission is called a manual transmission vehicle, while a vehicle that shifts gears automatically based on the vehicle’s speed, engine RPM, or driving conditions is called an automatic transmission vehicle. In a manual transmission vehicle, the driver must operate the gearshift while pressing the clutch pedal with their left foot; in an automatic transmission vehicle, there is no clutch pedal, so the driver simply operates the gearshift lever, and the vehicle shifts gears automatically according to driving conditions.
In the past, vehicles with automatic transmissions tended to consume more fuel and be more expensive than those with manual transmissions, but recent advancements in automatic transmission technology have significantly narrowed the fuel economy gap; in fact, automatic transmissions now offer better fuel economy in some vehicle models.
The pedals generally consist of an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal; in vehicles with manual transmissions, a clutch pedal is added to these. In a manual transmission vehicle, the driver operates the clutch with the left foot and the accelerator and brake pedals with the right foot. The driver can increase speed by pressing the accelerator pedal and reduce speed by releasing the accelerator or pressing the brake pedal.
How are cars classified?
Cars come in as many varieties as they do designs. Generally, cars are classified based on size, purpose, appearance, engine displacement, and fuel type. However, as automotive design and engineering continue to evolve, vehicles combining features of multiple types have emerged, gradually blurring the boundaries between each category. Furthermore, classification criteria vary by country, and even the same vehicle model may be classified differently depending on the criteria used.
In South Korea, according to Article 2 of the “Automobile Management Act,” automobiles are categorized into passenger cars, multi-purpose vehicles, trucks, special-purpose vehicles, and motorcycles. Among these, a passenger car is defined as “a vehicle manufactured to transport 10 or fewer people.” Furthermore, current automobile taxation and classification systems are designed to consider various factors—including vehicle price, environmental friendliness, and vehicle type—in addition to engine displacement. In the past, passenger cars were often subdivided primarily based on engine displacement, but recently, factors such as the vehicle’s form, purpose, and whether it is eco-friendly have become more important criteria.
How will automobiles evolve in the future?
So far, we have examined automobiles through their definition, development process, structure, and classification. Having evolved over a long period through the research and development of countless engineers, automobiles are sophisticated machines in which numerous parts work together in an organic, interlocking manner; today, they have become an indispensable means of transportation in our daily lives.
Meanwhile, automobiles have long been identified as one of the causes of environmental pollution due to their use of fossil fuels and exhaust emissions. Consequently, the automotive industry today is rapidly shifting toward solutions to environmental problems. In addition to technologies for improving fuel efficiency and reducing emissions in internal combustion engine vehicles, the development and adoption of eco-friendly vehicles—such as electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles—are steadily expanding. Furthermore, with the rapid advancement of autonomous driving technology, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication, and Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) technology, automobiles are evolving beyond mere means of transportation into futuristic mobility solutions that integrate cutting-edge information technology.
It is expected that automobiles will continue to evolve toward greater safety, environmental friendliness, and convenience. The role of automobiles—not only in supporting human mobility more efficiently but also as a key technology for realizing a sustainable society—will continue to expand in the future.
