It was able to produce impressive fuel economy.
Who was the inventor of the first internal combustion engine Who was the first to use ICE? Who was the first to develop a diesel engine? All of these questions are ones we know the answers to. Have you ever wondered who made the first truck? Mercedes-Benz claims they have the answer. Here’s the story.
In 1896, the first cargo truck was created by, who was a pioneer in automobile design and internal combustion engines. The truck was built on his earlier inventions and featured a 1.06-liter, two-cylinder engine.
The little truck looked like a cart with a motor. It had about 4 horsepower (3 kilowatts), and was driven by a belt-driven system to the rear wheels. Because the engine was sensitive to vibrations, it was protected with two helical springs. There must have been many, considering the truck’s hard-iron wheels.
To steer the leaf-sprung front wheel, the steering mechanism employed a chain. The driver sat in the front while the engine was at back. According to available data, the truck had a remarkable fuel consumption of 6 liters per 100 km (39.5 miles per gallon). That would translate to “0.4 kilograms per horsepower” and “0.4 km/hr.”
Two years later, Wilhelm Maybach and Daimler built an improved version of the truck. The engine was moved to its front. The truck was finally given its own design, with a distinctive front end that differentiated it from the cart.
A second revision was made shortly thereafter with the engine in front the front axle. This engine was a larger 2.2-liter unit with a Bosch ignition and new cooling.