Cars have become essential in our daily life, but do you know how cars work? Without the help of cars, transporting from one place to another could be very troublesome. Nowadays, automobiles may appear in various forms. For instance, pickup trucks, sports cars, and jeeps; these are merely the tip of the iceberg. Nevertheless, although they come in many different shapes, they actually share the same mechanisms. To be exact, three vital systems are involved in the working of a gasoline-based car: the engine system, the transmission system, and the electrical system. To help you comprehend better about the basic mechanics of a car, this article will break down these three systems step by step separately.
  A car engine is often called the heart of the car, and it is called so for a reason. An engine provides the power for vehicles to run on by converting the heat from burning fuel into a force that eventually turns the wheels. This set of motions starts in the cylinders, a part of the engine. Different types of engines would have different amount of cylinders. For instance, a straight-four engine has four cylinders, and a straight-eight engine has eight and so on. The cylinders each contains a piston, a spark plug, two valves (inlet and outlet), and shares a crankshaft. Firstly, the inlet valve opens as the piston moves downward and pulls in the air-fuel mixture. Moving on, the piston begins to push up while the valves stay closed. This action compresses the mixture so that it can be ignited by the spark plug and triggers an explosion. Then, air expands widely due to the explosion and pushes down the piston as a result of the high pressure, producing power to the crankshaft. Lastly, the outlet valve opens and the piston pushes out the burned gas and the cycle begins anew. By the way, since this kind of engine is powered by explosions, it is also known as the internal combustion engine.

 

 

 

 

 

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  Now you have a better understanding of how engines work, let’s get down to the basic mechanisms behind the transmission system. To begin with, the transmission is the vital link between the engine speed and the actual vehicle speed. When it comes to scenarios like increasing torque to accelerate from traffic lights or preventing the engine from working too hard in high-speed circumstance, the transmission plays a critical part. Simply put, the system controls how fast the wheels spin with numerous sets of gears; by creating different gear ratios, the transmission is able to manage the output of power from the engine toward the wheels. In respect of a front-wheel-drive car, the power is sent to the front wheel, and so on. With the right amount of force, the vehicle can drive forward properly, but we all know that cars don’t only drive forward, they also turn. In order to do so, the power from the transmission utilizes a differential to distribute the power needed for each wheel. Furthermore, an automatic transmission uses sensors to determine when it should shift gears while a manual transmission shifts gears as the driver pushes the clutch pedal.

 

 

 

 

 

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  As technology advances, a modern engine generates excessive power. Therefore, an electrical system is installed to transform the overflow of power into electricity. By connecting the working engine and the generator with a belt, the former provides power and starts the latter. As electricity is generated, the energy is stored in a car battery and distributed to the components being powered by cables. Since it is a closed circuit, the current circulates in the cables and back, the battery automatically charges as the car runs. Finally, you have a car that doesn’t require manual ignition, and it can play music and has air conditioning as well as an anti-theft system.
  To sum up, a working vehicle has three vital systems on the run. Firstly, an engine provides power via small explosions within the cylinders. Moving on, the transmission takes the power from the engine and transmits it to the wheels in order to have the car moving. Eventually, the electrical system takes the overflow of power and forms a closed circuit that drives the electrical parts like headlights, air conditioner or the radio. This coordination between the three critical systems with the addition of bodywork, interior, cooling system and so forth is what makes the cars we see and ride at least every now and then. This invention truly enriches our life by taking us to places afar and allowing us to broaden our horizons. To this day, designers are still making breakthroughs and improving our driving experience like finding alternative energies, experimenting on auto-driving cars, inventing various car accessories, and building multi-function cars. In my opinion, it is safe to say that we will achieve even more innovations in the future.