In 1892, the German engineer Rudolf Diesel was a patent

In 1892, the German engineer Rudolf Diesel was a patent for a "New Rational Combustion Engine". In 1897 he built the first diesel engine. steam, electric and gasoline vehicles competed for decades, with gasoline internal combustion engine achieving dominance in the 1910s.

While some have attempted less piston rotary engine designs, with the conventional piston and crankshaft, only Mazda version of the Wankel engine in the competition has only very limited success.