What is the History of Hybrid Cars?

Hybrid vehicles have been around longer than the fuel-powered cars that were invented and popularized in the 19th century. The following details attempts to create hybrid cars at different points in history:

Pre-18th Century Efforts

The first move toward a hybrid vehicle is believed to be in 1665, when Ferdinand Verbiest, a Jesuit priest, began work on plans for a simple four wheeled vehicle that could run on steam or be pulled by a horse. Over a fifteen year period, Verbiest worked to refine his creation, although there is no evidence that this hybrid vehicle ever came to fruition.

Nicholas Cugnot came up with a working steam-powered carriage in 1769. Not only did Cugnot's invention get off the drawing board, but it was able to move along at a top speed of six miles per hour. Unfortunately, maintaining enough steam to travel any real distance was difficult to accomplish, so this Frenchman's project did not lead to any innovations in mass transportation.

19th Century Progress

Scotland was the site of the first electric powered car in 1839. Designed by Robert Anderson, the vehicle had limited range and a battery power that was difficult to recharge. By 1870, Sir David Solomon had come up with a lighter motor for a carriage, but still faced problems creating a battery that could easily and reliably be recharged. With a very limited range and a costly process for recharging, his idea did not get very far.

Within a decade, business investors in London gained an interest in developing an electric taxicab. The design supposedly called for a 28-cell battery system that would drive a small electric motor. While this one did not come into regular use, it did pave the way for a more successful effort in 1897. In that year, the London Electric Cab Company began to provide service in the city, using cabs powered by a 40 cell battery and a three horsepower electric motor. Dubbed the "Bersey Cab" after its inventor, Walter Bersey, the cab could go up to fifty miles before the battery had to be recharged.

Porsche developed the first electric and internal combustion engine in 1898. The electric batteries were located in the wheel hubs. This vehicle�the Lohner Electric Chaise--could travel a distance of forty miles on battery power alone.

20th Century Innovations

1900 saw the creation of a gas and electric hybrid in Belgium. Developed by Pieper, a Belgian carmaker, the three and a half horsepower motor was joined to an electric motor, found under the seat. When the vehicle needed some extra power to make its way up a steep incline, the electric motor would kick in and provide a boost to the gas engine. In America in 1905, a gentleman named Piper received a patent for a similar design; however, there is no record of the hybrid actually being built.

Beginning in 1910, a company by the name of "Commercial Built Trucks" that used a four-cylinder gas engine, which powered a generator, eliminating the need for a transmission or a battery pack. The company discontinued production in 1918.

After a long quiet period, hybrid cars bubbled to the surface again in 1969. The General Motors 512 was designed to run entirely on electric power at a speed under ten miles per hour. From 10 to 13 miles per hour, the vehicle ran on a combination of electric power and gas combustion. Over 13 mph, the vehicle relied strictly on the gas engine.

After the Oil Embargo of 1973, interest in hybrid cars climbed. Volkswagen developed a hybrid vehicle dubbed the Taxi, which was shown extensively at auto shows throughout the United States and other places. The Taxi had the ability to switch back and forth between an electric motor and a gasoline engine with a higher range of efficiency than any hybrid had ever exhibited up to that time.

In 1975, American Motors developed a fleet of electric powered vans for the Postal Service, which they tested extensively. Unfortunately, the project did not meet with the level of success that everyone had hoped.

Dave Arthurs developed a hybrid vehicle in 1979, using his Opel GT as the framework to create a hybrid mix, using a 6-horsepower lawn mower engine, a 400-amp electric motor, and a series of six-volt batteries. Arthurs was able to demonstrate that his hybrid could get gas mileage of 75 miles per gallon.

Audi premiered a hybrid in 1989, named the Audi Duo. The hybrid used a 12.6 horsepower electric engine, which was powered by a nickel cadmium battery. The electric motor powered the back wheels of the vehicle. A 2.3-liter five-cylinder gas engine powered the front wheels.

In 1997, Toyota introduced the Prius exclusively to its Japanese market. That first year, the Prius sold 18,000 cars and seemed to be the first significant mass marketed hybrid vehicle in the world.

Honda cracked the American market in 1999 with the Insight, a lightweight hybrid two-door model. The vehicle was able to demonstrate a rating of 61 miles per gallon in the city and 70 miles per gallon on the highway.

21st Century Developments

The new millennium saw Toyota bringing the Prius to the United States, which became the first four-door hybrid sedan to be marketed in the US. Not to be outdone, Honda released the Hybrid Cars for Sale on eBay