Imagining your comfortable automobile without cup holders would be a tough task today. The mere idea would seem full of hardships, to the point of being revolting. There was time when these cup holders were considered just another add-on to the car but today they have become an integral part of every four wheeler.

To be fair to early automotive creators, addition of something like this could not have entered their minds. The suspension systems were crude by today?s standards and combined with the not-so-smooth road conditions, the thought of sipping a cola while driving was too far-fetched to be taken seriously.

The creativity of automotive makers was challenged in this direction with the advent of drive-in restaurants and theaters. The earliest and also the crudest cup holders were feeble attempts by restaurant servers to attach a makeshift tray to the side windows of cars. car cup holder adapter for large cups Then a few car makers started providing serrated glove compartments to support the beverage cups. In spite of all this the original problem of enjoying a drink in a moving vehicle was still unsolved. The best such contraptions could do was prevent the sliding of cups. Any attempt to test these holders in moving vehicle resulted in sloshing and spilling of liquid.

Even with improvements later on, the cup holders failed to satisfy both the aesthetic and utility requirements. They were generally attached to the inside of car doors. Apart from severely reducing the leg space, they were also vulnerable to occasional slamming of doors which without fail resulted in a messy floor mat of the car. Of course, with time and technology the design has also evolved. The present generation cup holders are generally equipped to hold securely cups of all sizes. A popular method to achieve this is to use spring loaded holders which clasp onto the cups irrespective of their size.

Of course these appendages have not been welcomed with the same gusto world over. European motorist still do not attach much importance to cup holders which according to them is yet another example of American way of wastefulness. However, with increasing globalization and integration of world markets many cars in Europe do incorporate holders today.

Of course we would be underestimating human potential for invention and discovery if we thought this was the end of road for cup holders. There are still ways in which their utility can be enhanced and we can trust our automobile makers to keep working until they have achieved the best.

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