Cars are a common sight on roads these days. Most of us either drive or interact with them on almost a daily basis. Cars have become smarter, more accessible and are now a common commodity. If you are an automotive enthusiast, you might know a lot about the latest car models in the market today and all the features they offer. But we are certain that there are still some interesting trivia related to cars that you might not be aware of. Here are 5 amazing car facts you probably did not know
The first electric car was made 190 years ago
While EVs might be the future of mobility and a form of transportation people are just getting used to, the technology has been around for almost 190 years. Yes, you read that right. The first electric vehicle came into existence before the famous Mercedes Motorwagen. A Scottish inventor named Robert Anderson is credited with creating the first electric vehicle back in 1832. He used non-rechargeable cells and an electric motor to propel a carriage. His endeavour even pre-dates the invention of lead-acid batteries.
The man who invented Cruise Control was blind
The modern cruise control as we know it was invented by a man named Ralph Teetor. He got the patent for the technology in the year 1950 and called it Speedostat. A few years down the line, Cadillac began using the device in their car and called it Cruise Control and that is the name that stuck around. What is more fascinating, however, is the fact that Ralph was actually blind and got the idea of inventing the device because he was riding with his lawyer once who kept on speeding up and slowing down while talking to Ralph. This annoyed the inventor so much that he set himself on a path to find a solution for the issue.
First speeding ticket was issued for driving at 13kmph
We complain about the speed limits on city roads being too low these days, but back in 1896, the very first speeding ticket was issued to a man named Walter Arnold for driving his Arnold Benz Carriage at a blazing fast 13kmph. Do you know what the speed limit was in those days? The answer is 3.2kmph. Also, it was mandated by the law that a person had to walk in front of a “horseless” carriage, waving a red flag. Walter was not following either rule and ended up having to appear in court. Thankfully, the Locomotives on Highways Act 1896 removed the mandate of having a flagbearer and bumped up the speed limit to 23kmph.
Car with most mileage has been around the world 130 times
The most amount of kilometres driven in a car by a single owner is a little more than 52 lakh kilometres. For reference, that distance is equal to taking almost 130 trips around the world. This feat was achieved by Irvin Gordon in a Volvo P1800S. In fact, just within two days of purchasing his P1800S, Irvin had clocked almost 2,400km on it and brought it for its first scheduled service. His work made him travel 200km every day and was a major contributor towards the huge figure.
Steering wheels were not used before 1894
Believe it or not but there was a time when cars did not have round steering wheels as we have come to see regularly. Instead, the vehicles would be turned using levers. Alfred Vacheron was the first person seen with a round steering wheel on his Panhard when he entered the Paris-Rouen race in the year 1894. The system proved to be so successful that Panhard equipped all their models with a steering wheel by the end of the 1800s.
