Automobile Timeline, 1769–2040: From Steam to Electric Cars

The first vehicle to move under its own power ran on steam

The four-stroke engine — still how most cars work

The Benz Patent Motor Car — the date usually called the car's birthday

The first car past 100 km/h was electric

The hybrid already existed in 1900

The electric starter takes away the electric car's last advantage (unverified)

The moving assembly line — build time falls to an eighth

The gas turbine car — it ran, but the fuel consumption was hopeless

The first fuel cell car was never allowed on public roads

A law written around technology that did not exist yet

Leaded petrol is banned outright — 75 years after it was introduced

An engine that burns hydrogen — neither battery nor fuel cell

The EU withdraws its 2035 combustion engine ban