A quadracycle is a four-wheeled human-powered land vehicle. It is also referred to as a quadricycle, quadcycle pedal car or four-wheeled bicycle, amongst other terms.

Human-powered quadracyles have been in use since 1853 and have grown into several families of vehicles for a variety of purposes, including tourist rentals, pedal taxis, private touring, mountain and industrial use.

There is no consensus amongst manufacturers of four-wheeled, human powered vehicles as to what this class of vehicles should be called, although quadracycle is the most commonly-used term. Manufacturers who do refer to their products by class of vehicle call them:

As well there are single manufacturers who call them Go-kart, Car, Car-Bike, Ecological car, Human Powered Vehicle, Pedal Kart, Quadribent, Quattrocycle, Surrey and Twin bike

The earliest recorded pedal-powered quadracycle was exhibited in 1853 at the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations World's Fair held in New York City. This was about the same time that two-wheeled bicycles started to become popular. Quadracycles were one solution to the problem of low-speed stability in early cycles and were typically multi-seat models. Both tandem (in line) and sociable (side-by-side) seating configurations were used.

The word pedal comes from the Latin (pes, Pedis) and relates to the foot.

A pedal is a lever activated by one's foot. The term "foot pedal" is redundant, and should be avoided. Examples include:

In Transport:

In Music:

In Geometry:

An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally for the transport of people rather than goods.

The term motorcar has also been used in the context of electrified rail systems to denote a car which functions as a small locomotive but also provides space for passengers and baggage. These locomotive cars were often used on suburban routes by both interurban and intercity railroad systems.

There are approximately 600 million passenger cars worldwide (roughly one car per eleven people). Around the world, there were about 806 million cars and light trucks on the road in 2007; the engines of these burn over a billion cubic meters (260 billion US gallons) of petrol/gasoline and diesel fuel yearly. The numbers are increasing rapidly, especially in China and India.

Richard Philip "Dick" King (1813 – 1871) was an English trader and colonist at Port Natal, a British trading station in the region now known as KwaZulu-Natal. He is best known for a historic horseback ride in 1842, where he completed a journey of 960 kilometres (600 mi) in 10 days, in order to request help for the besieged British garrison at Port Natal (now the Old Fort, Durban).

Dick King was born in Chatham, England. His family emigrated to the Albany district of the Cape Colony in 1820, as part of the settler program. In 1828 however his family resettled to the then frontier region of Port Natal, when Dick was about 15 years of age. His first employment was as a wagon driver for the pioneer traders. In reverend Francis Owen's company he met Zulu chief Dingane, and also got acquainted with captain Allen Gardiner.

Dick King first came to prominence after the 1838 murders of the Voortrekker leader Retief and his delegation at the kraal of the Zulu chief Dingane. American missionaries who heard of the murders notified Port Natal. There Alexander Biggar sent Dick King to warn his 18 year old son, George, and others who were 120 miles (200 km) inland at the Voortrekker camps. Dick King departed immediately on foot, accompanied by a number of natives. Despite covering the distance in four days by walking day and night, they arrived just after the van Rensburg voortrekker camp was attacked. They reached the vicinity of the next camp, near present day Estcourt, just as the attack on it started on February 17, 1838. Though cut off from the Gerrit Maritz laager, he participated in its defence, but was unable to prevent the death of George, who was further inland at the Blaauwekrans river. 600 Boers, including women and children, died in the surprise attacks though others managed to survive the heavy and sustained Zulu onslaughts.