Past as prelude to the FUTURE

SAE's Mobility History Committee brings a trove of knowledge-and cool technology.

Engineers who have done patent searches know there's truth in the old saying: Few things are truly new under the sun.

First hybrid-electric car? 1899. First autonomous car tests? 1920s. First car with a cast-aluminum body structure? 1946. First aircraft to employ titanium in its initial design phase? 1952. First head-up display in aircraft? 1958. First drivable fuel-cell vehicle? 1966. First composite-plastic truck cab? 1967. The list of such pioneering developments is long indeed and rarely fails to surprise.