, there were a wide variety of propulsion systems available or potentially available for automobiles and other vehicles. Options included internal combustion engines fueled by petrol, diesel, propane, or natural gas; hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrids, fuel cell vehicles fueled by hydrogen and all electric cars. Fueled vehicles seem to have the advantage due to the limited range and high cost of batteries. Some options required construction of a network of fueling or charging stations. With no compelling advantage for any particular option, car makers pursued parallel development tracks using a variety of options. Reducing the weight of vehicles was one strategy being employed. Recent developments The use of high-technology (such as electronic engine control units) in advanced designs resulting from substantial investments in development research by European countries and Japan seemed to give an advantage to them over Chinese automakers and parts suppliers who, as of 2013, had low development budgets and lacked capacity to produce parts for high-tech engine and power train designs. Characteristics The chief characteristic of an automotive engine (compared to a stationary engine or a marine engine) is a high power-to-weight ratio. This is achieved by using a high rotational speed. However, automotive engines are sometimes modified for marine use, forming a marine automobile engine. History In the early years, steam engines and electric motors were tried, but with limited success. In the 20th century, the internal combustion (ic) engine became dominant. In 2015, the internal combustion engine remains the most widely used but a resurgence of electricity seems likely because of increasing concern about ic engine exhaust gas emissions. As of 2017, the majority of the cars in the United States are gasoline powered. In the early 1900s, the internal combustion engines faced competition from steam and electric engines. The internal combustion engines of the time was powered by gasoline. Internal combustion engines function with the concept of a piston being pushed by the pressure of a certain explosion. This explosion is burning the hydrocarbon within the cylinder head an engine. Out of all the cars manufactured during the time, only around one fourth are actually considered internal combustion. Within the next couple of years, the internal combustion engine came out to become the most popular automotive engine. Sometime within the 19th century, Rudolf Diesel invented a new form of internal combustion power, using a concept of injecting liquid fuel into air heated solely by