The History of TransportationStudying the history of transportation can really help us to understand how we got to the point on our planet where we now find ourselves. Most of our vehicles and modes of transportation use petroleum or fossil fuels for power (in some form). But believe it or not, throughout most of the history of transportation, horses were man's primary way of getting from one place to another. It wasn't really until the 1800's that powered vehicles, especially those using gasoline engines, were discovered and used. Here is the timeline of the most significant moments in history for people moving themselves about the earth:
Now, having said all of that - we can now look objectively at the history of transportation. We can view our current use of cars, boats, planes and trains simply for what they are in the grand scheme of things. And really, when taken into perspective, our use of fossil fuels is really just a very small portion of our history on the earth. Why are fossil fuels still used?Presently, we use gasoline engines to power most vehicles and machinery. We tend to use technologies that are more readily available to us, simply because they are easier to use on a daily basis and it's more costly and difficult to switch to other methods in "mid-stream". Let's face fact, petroleum (currently) is cheaper to deliver and use. Fossil fuels have been the "norm" for quite some period of time. For anyone born after 1930, gasoline-driven automobiles and machinery have been a part of our everyday lives in the civilized world since we were born. It would seem (or has seemed until recently) almost impossible to try to live without them or to suddenly stop using oil and gas. Producing and distributing fossil fuels has become commonplace and relatively easy, as the infrastructure is already in place. This is the primary reason for us still using gasoline in our cars. Practically everything we use or own that has any type of engine in or on it uses petroleum. Setting up the infrastructure for a new technology (both for distributing and refueling) is extremely difficult and costly. Fairly simple reasoning, isn't it? But, why haven't other technologies worked over gasoline? Let's take a look... Alternative Methods Already Attempted1.) Steam-Engine Powered Our history of transportation shows us that alternative methods of moving about are not a "new" idea by any means. Just looking at our simple time-line above, you see a few attempts at using other things (other than fossil fuels) were already made by others at different times. It's well-known that steam-powered boats were used for years on rivers and lakes. One only needs to read a copy of Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" to be reminded of that. These were shortly replaced by bigger, more powerful diesel-engine propelled ships. (Petroleum "triumphs" again). Nicolas Joseph Cugnot's 1769 road vehicle only traveled at a maximum speed of 2 1/2 mph. Nicolas was, however, ahead of his time in that the vehicle was powered by steam and not by men or horses. It was also used to carry heavy loads - it performed work. Other inventor's actually built and used smaller steam-driven cars in the years after Nicolas' apparatus came on the scene. The Stanley Family sold the Stanley Steamer between 1896 and 1924. It worked rather well. The Stanley Steamer's only real problem was longevity - as it had to be frequently refilled with water and could not hold enough, or carry enough, for long trips. Abner Doble created the Doble Steam Car and the Paxton Phoenix Steam Car. These were also rather innovative ideas for their time. So, what prevented these ideas from being used or accepted? These steam-driven cars were initially too expensive to make and sell - and not many people could readily afford them at the time. (Again, cost was a significant factor). Not having enough people to buy them caused demand for them to plummet - and eventually, they were unable to make them and stay in business. Three other things "killed" the steam-driven cars -
2.) Electric Powered Electric-powered vehicles are not necessarily a "new" idea either. A man from France by the name of Gaston Plante invented a better storage battery shortly thereafter. It was also improved upon by others a little later. Again, what happened? Why didn't we continue using electric power? Well, when carefully looking at the history of transportation overall, we see that these original carriages were VERY small in size. "How small?" you ask? Very small. They were simply that: carriages. Size was not large enough for anything serious. 2-4 persons and very little luggage could actually be transported with them. And they faced the same obstacles that steam-driven cars did at about the same time -
With a better understanding of the history of transportation, everything else seems a lot simpler. Perhaps as we take it all into perspective, we can clearly and optimistically look to the future for what it holds for new technologies and for all of us on planet earth. Return from History of Transportation to
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