Off-road vehicle

An off-road vehicle (ORV), sometimes referred to as an off-highway vehicle (OHV), overland vehicle, or adventure vehicle, is considered to be any type of vehicle which is capable of driving off paved or gravel surfaces, such as trails and forest roads that have rough and low traction surfaces. These vehicles are generally characterized by having large tyres with deep, open treads, a flexible suspension, or even caterpillar tracks. Because of their versatility, several types of motorsports involve racing off-road vehicles. A common use of these vehicles is for sight-seeing in areas that are unpaved and in the wilderness. One of the first modified off-road vehicles was the Kégresse track, a conversion undertaken first by Adolphe Kégresse, who designed the original while working for Czar Nicholas II of Russia between 1906 and 1916. The system uses a caterpillar track with a flexible belt rather than interlocking metal segments. It can be fitted to a conventional car or truck to turn it into a half-track suitable for use over rough or soft ground. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Kégresse returned to his native France where the system was used on Citroën cars between 1921 and 1937 for off-road and military vehicles. The Citroën company sponsored several overland expeditions with their vehicles crossing North Africa and Central Asia. A huge wheeled vehicle designed from 1937 to 1939 under the direction of Thomas Poulter called Antarctic Snow Cruiser was intended to facilitate transport in the Antarctica. While having several innovative features, it generally failed to operate as hoped under the difficult conditions, and was eventually abandoned in Antarctica. After World War II, a huge surplus of light off-road vehicles like the Jeep and heavier lorries were available on the automobile market. The Jeeps in particular were popular with buyers who used them as utility vehicles. This was also the start of off-roading as a hobby.

About this result

This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.

Related publications (1)

Related concepts (20)

Related courses (1)

Related lectures (31)

Related MOOCs (2)

Half-track

A half-track is a civilian or military vehicle with regular wheels at the front for steering and continuous tracks at the back to propel the vehicle and carry most of the load. The purpose of this combination is to produce a vehicle with the cross-country capabilities of a tank and the handling of a wheeled vehicle.

Off-road vehicle

Car

A car, or an automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people, not cargo. French inventor Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot built the first steam-powered road vehicle in 1769, while French-born-Swiss inventor François Isaac de Rivaz designed and constructed the first internal combustion powered automobile in 1808. The modern car—a practical, marketable automobile for everyday use—was invented in 1886, when German inventor Carl Benz patented his Benz Patent-Motorwagen.

MATH-101(g): Analysis I

Étudier les concepts fondamentaux d'analyse et le calcul différentiel et intégral des fonctions réelles d'une variable.

Vehicle trajectory prediction works, but not everywhere

Alexandre Massoud Alahi, Saeed Saadatnejad, Mohammadhossein Bahari, Seyed Mohsen Moosavi Dezfooli

Vehicle trajectory prediction is nowadays a fundamental pillar of self-driving cars. Both the industry and research communities have acknowledged the need for such a pillar by providing public benchma

IEEE2022

Intro to Traffic Flow Modeling and Intelligent Transport Systems

Learn how to describe, model and control urban traffic congestion in simple ways and gain insight into advanced traffic management schemes that improve mobility in cities and highways.

Intro to Traffic Flow Modeling and Intelligent Transport Systems

Learn how to describe, model and control urban traffic congestion in simple ways and gain insight into advanced traffic management schemes that improve mobility in cities and highways.

Car following models: Intro to traffic flow modeling MOOC: Intro to Traffic Flow Modeling and Intelligent Transport Systems

Covers car following models, stability, lane changing, and microsimulation advantages, challenges, and characteristics.

Derivability and Differentiability MATH-101(g): Analysis I

Covers derivability, differentiability, rules of differentiation, and the relationship between differentiability and continuity.

Types of Bituminous Mixes CIVIL-463: Transport facilities I

Explores various types of bituminous mixes and their applications in road construction and maintenance.