<P> The first carriage - sized automobile suitable for use on existing wagon roads in the United States was a steam - powered vehicle invented in 1871 by Dr. J.W. Carhart , a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church , in Racine , Wisconsin. ( 1 ) It induced the State of Wisconsin in 1875 to offer a $10,000 award to the first to produce a practical substitute for the use of horses and other animals . They stipulated that the vehicle would have to maintain an average speed of more than 5 miles per hour ( 8.0 km / h ) over a 200 - mile ( 320 km ) course . The offer led to the first city to city automobile race in the United States , starting on 16 July 1878 in Green Bay , Wisconsin , and ending in Madison , via Appleton , Oshkosh , Waupun , Watertown , Fort Atkinson , and Janesville . While seven vehicles were registered , only two started to compete : the entries from Green Bay and Oshkosh . The vehicle from Green Bay was faster , but broke down before completing the race . The Oshkosh finished the 201 - mile ( 323 km ) course in 33 hours and 27 minutes , and posted an average speed of six miles per hour . In 1879 , the legislature awarded half the prize . </P>
<P> The first carriage - sized automobile suitable for use on existing wagon roads in the United States was a steam - powered vehicle invented in 1871 by Dr. J.W. Carhart , a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church , in Racine , Wisconsin. ( 1 ) It induced the State of Wisconsin in 1875 to offer a $10,000 award to the first to produce a practical substitute for the use of horses and other animals . They stipulated that the vehicle would have to maintain an average speed of more than 5 miles per hour ( 8.0 km / h ) over a 200 - mile ( 320 km ) course . The offer led to the first city to city automobile race in the United States , starting on 16 July 1878 in Green Bay , Wisconsin , and ending in Madison , via Appleton , Oshkosh , Waupun , Watertown , Fort Atkinson , and Janesville . While seven vehicles were registered , only two started to compete : the entries from Green Bay and Oshkosh . The vehicle from Green Bay was faster , but broke down before completing the race . The Oshkosh finished the 201 - mile ( 323 km ) course in 33 hours and 27 minutes , and posted an average speed of six miles per hour . In 1879 , the legislature awarded half the prize . </P>
who invented the automobile in the united states
who invented the automobile in the united states
Dr. J.W. Carhart
Dr. J.W. Carhart