Due to ever-increasing emission standards, the automobile is forever linked to the catalytic converter, oxygen sensor, air pump, and the electronic control module. The control module is designed to adjust the engine's ignition timing thousands of times every second to ensure that the smallest amount of hydrocarbons are released into the atmosphere. The automobile continues to clean up its own act and inspire the development of increasingly sophisticated technology, which underpins the prosperity of North America. Thanks to Otto's four-cycle internal combustion engine and the contributions of pioneers before and after him, the motor vehicle has transformed society. No matter how distant a town or farm, for instance, if there is a road, the place is no longer isolated.
Trucks carry food, medicine, and goods of all kinds across continents.
Ambulances rush the desperately sick to the sites of the best care. Richard A. Lentinello, a lifelong hands-on automotive enthusiast, is the executive editor of Hemmings Motor News and the company's associated publications in Bennington, Vt.