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what did the first car run on

2 Answers

BeauLynn

12/19/25 6:10pm

The first true automobile, Karl Benz's 1886 Patent-Motorwagen, ran on ligroin, a light petroleum product similar to what we now call gasoline or naptha. It was chosen because it easily vaporized for the engine's primitive surface carburetor. This single-cylinder, four-stroke engine produced about 0.75 horsepower and achieved a top speed of 10 mph (16 km/h).

The choice of fuel was a critical engineering challenge. Early internal combustion engines experimented with various fuels, including coal gas and hydrogen. Ligroin, a byproduct of refining kerosene from crude oil, was relatively volatile and readily available at the time from pharmacies as a cleaning solvent, ironically making it one of the first "gasoline" stations.

Here’s a comparison of early automotive power sources for context:

Vehicle / Inventor	Year	Primary Power Source	Key Characteristics
Karl Benz Patent-Motorwagen	1886	Ligroin (Gasoline)	First true automobile; internal combustion engine.
Gottlieb Daimler Motorized Carriage	1886	Petroleum Spirit	Another early gasoline engine pioneer.
Early Predecessors
Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot's Fardier	1769	Steam	First full-scale, self-propelled mechanical vehicle; very slow and impractical.
Carl Benz's earlier prototypes	1885	Coal Gas	Used a lighter-than-air fuel gas; impractical for a range of vehicles.

While steam-powered vehicles existed earlier, Benz's Patent-Motorwagen is widely recognized as the first automobile designed from the ground up to be powered by an internal combustion engine running on a petroleum-based liquid fuel, setting the standard for the next century of automotive development. The move to liquid fuel was essential for giving vehicles the range and practicality needed for personal transportation.

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Tyrone

12/27/25 9:42am

It ran on gasoline, pretty much. Well, a specific type called ligroin. Back in 1886, Karl Benz built this three-wheeled thing called the Patent-Motorwagen. Gas stations didn't exist, so you'd actually buy the fuel as a cleaning fluid from a pharmacy. It's wild to think that the whole car industry started with something so simple you could pick it up next to the soap. It only had one cylinder and went about as fast as a brisk bicycle ride.

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