Some people think that the elevator was originally a simple rope or chain hoist (see traction elevator below). The elevator is essentially a platform that is pulled up or pushed up mechanically. Modern elevators consist of cars (also called "cages", "cars" or "cars") that are installed on platforms in enclosed spaces called shafts or sometimes "hoistways". In the past, elevator drive mechanisms were driven by steam and water hydraulic pistons or manually. In "traction-type" elevators, the car is pulled up on deep groove pulleys by wire ropes, commonly referred to as pulleys in the industry. The weight of the car is balanced by the counterweight. Sometimes two elevators are built so that their cars always move synchronously in opposite directions and balance each other.Escalator manufacturers

The friction between the rope and the pulley provides traction, which gives this type of elevator its name.

Hydraulic elevators use the principle of hydraulic pressure (hydraulic power in the sense) to pressurize ground or ground pistons to raise and lower the car (see hydraulic elevator below). The rope hydraulic system combines rope and hydraulic power to raise and lower the car. Recent innovations include permanent magnet motors, gearless machines with trackless installations in the computer room, and microprocessor control.

The technology used in the new installation depends on many factors. Hydraulic elevators are cheap, but for very high lifting shafts, it becomes impractical to install hydraulic cylinders longer than a certain length. For buildings over seven floors, traction elevators must be used. Hydraulic elevators are usually slower than traction elevators.

Elevators are candidates for mass customization. Mass production of components can bring economic benefits, but each building has its own requirements, such as different number of floors, the size of wells and how to use them.