Many limo hire companies know little about the history of their own vehicles.
Initially, limos ran using steam engines. These were developed around one hundred years earlier than internal combustion engines, and were restricted to larger vehicles at the time because of their weight.
Limos started to use both steam and internal engines. They utilised the technology already gained in the development of train steam engines.
In 1920, the combustion engine surpassed the steam engine. Hardly any steam-powered limousines were built after the 1920s – although there are projects underway which are aimed at recreating a modern version of the steam engine.
One of the main disadvantages of steam engines is that the boiler is extremely heavy and has to be fed water constantly. However, excluding the boiler, the engine is lighter and smaller than internal combustion engines.
Modern vehicles use combustion engines.