Ian DeBoo Period 6 12/11/10 Engineering

Identify The Problem The creation of the automobile made transportation faster and easier. Karl Benz originally worked at a bicycle repair shop. After his success In his repair shop he decided to become an inventor. Karl Benz thought the best way to make a car was to use a bicycle only adding a second wheel on the back. So it could hold the weight of the engine.

Karl Benz and August Ritter originally thought of the design of the car in There first year working together was a failure. After Benz had more funding for his work, he went bac k and started construction of the automobile without Ritter.

In 1883 he made a plan with Ritter His plan involved a vehicle similar to a bike except with an added wheel on the back. The wheel frames were made only of wire. And in between the wheels sat the engine, which he tried to make as small as possible and then the seat went on top of the engine. And the steering mechanism was only a pole with a handle on it that rotated.

Between 1884 and 1885 he started constructing the machine. The engine included a small coil to start the engine and a large cooling system compared to cars of today. He called this invention the "Benz Motor wagon.” In 1894 he decided to improve his design. He made the vehicle bigger, and added a second wheel in the front, and he called it a Velo. In 1895 he designed the first truck, it was meant for pulling and hauling things and was built stronger. His first truck also had a covered top, room for more than 2 people, windows, and also a single headlight.

The motor wagon was marketed as a 3hp engine that had a top speed of 11mph. He had his first vehicle patented in 1885, It cost $600. The cost was fairly high for the time, but they were also very expensive to make and could only produce around 700 cars per year. In 1886 he expanded his building and created jobs for over 400 more people.