The definition of an automobile is a non-track-carrying vehicle driven by power, with four or more wheels, primarily used for transporting passengers and/or goods, towing, and specialized purposes.

In October 1885, German engineer Karl Benz successfully developed the world's first practical internal combustion engine-powered car. In 1886, Daimler installed a horizontal engine on a carriage, creating the first Daimler car.

In 1913, the American Ford Motor Company launched the first assembly line for the global Model T car. In 1978, Japan developed cars with alternative fuels. Cars, typically small in size with limited carrying capacity, mainly provide convenience for families or individuals' transportation.

A car generally consists of four basic parts: the body, powertrain (engine, gearbox), chassis, and electronic/electrical equipment. The four major systems of a car include the vehicle operating system, power system, safety system, and connected car system.

The automobile greatly expands people's mobility and continually alters their production and lifestyles. With the development of technology such as mobile internet, big data, and artificial intelligence, as well as the rise of new operational models like the sharing economy and e-commerce, the application scenarios and forms of automobiles have undergone significant changes. What will future cars look like, and how will they better serve human production and life?

"New Energy" Propelling Low-carbon Travel

For a long time, cars mainly relied on burning fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel-powered by internal combustion engines. As people's emphasis on environmental protection and low carbon continues to increase, the development pace of new energy vehicles has accelerated significantly.

Firstly, energy-storage electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular, including pure electric, hybrid, and extended-range electric vehicles. Meanwhile, fuel cell vehicles have entered a new stage of development, utilizing an electric drive system.

Compared to internal combustion engines, electric drive systems efficiently convert electrical energy to mechanical energy, offering advantages like relatively simple structure, high power density, fast power response, and minimal noise and vibration. They can perform bidirectional energy conversion, enabling mechanical energy recovery, and effectively reducing wasted energy during vehicle braking.

The electric drive system mainly comprises the electric motor, electronic control unit, and energy supply system (such as the power battery), known as the "three electricals." The electric motor is responsible for converting electrical energy into mechanical energy to drive the vehicle, representing the most mature technology among the "three electricals."

Aside from driving the motor based on the driver's commands, the electronic control unit also manages battery charging and discharging, power distribution, braking energy recovery, and thermal management. The normal operation of the electric drive system heavily relies on the continuous, stable, and efficient supply of energy from the power supply system.

Due to limitations in power supply mechanisms, safety, etc., the power supply system is the weakest link in the "three electricals" and is the most concern by consumers. Taking vehicle power batteries as an example, due to complex electrochemical reactions during operation, there are bottlenecks in performance indicators such as storage capacity, charging time, operating temperature, and service life, which mutually restrict each other.

Therefore, improving the comprehensive performance of power batteries has always been the focus of new energy vehicle technology.

To address concerns like "range anxiety" in electric vehicles, lithium battery manufacturing processes are gradually improving. New types of batteries such as graphene batteries and sodium-ion batteries continue to emerge, aiming to increase battery energy density and charge-discharge performance.

Lightweighting and structural optimization are steadily reducing power consumption, while breakthroughs in battery thermal management technology enhance low-temperature performance. The continuous development of charging technology significantly improves charging speed. Technological advancements are gradually addressing the shortcomings of new energy vehicles.

With the current pace of technological development, it is believed that in the not-too-distant future, the driving range, charging time, service life, and low-temperature performance of electric vehicles will significantly improve, increasingly meeting people's travel needs.

The automobile industry has a large output value, a long industrial chain, and extensive coverage, connecting numerous upstream and downstream industries such as steel, energy, machinery, chemicals, electronics, logistics, services, and finance. It plays an important role in driving industrial structure upgrading and the development of related industries, serving as a symbol of a country's industrialization level, economic strength, and technological innovation capabilities.

After more than a century of development and evolution, the automobile industry has now entered a mature stage, standing as one of the world's largest industries and occupying an increasingly important position in national economies and daily life.

The evolution of automobiles from their inception to the modern era stands as a testament to technological advancements and societal shifts. As the world embraces new energy sources and innovative technologies, the future of cars promises to be more efficient, environmentally friendly, and tailored to meet the evolving needs of humanity's mobility and lifestyle.