Hybrid Cars – Nothing New?
Hybrid cars are often thought of as a new concept, a breakthrough, a rarity. However, when we look deeper into their history, it turns out that hybrids are not as recent an innovation as we might think. In fact, hybrid-engined cars are older than any of us, as their history dates back to the beginning of the 20th century…
How it all started…
Electric cars were invented in the 1860s, several years before petrol-engined vehicles appeared in 1875, but the story of hybrid cars begins in 1902.
The first vehicle that could be called a hybrid, as it used two sources of power, was the ‘Mixte,’ designed by Ferdinand Porsche. The car had a petrol engine to run a generator, which powered electric hub motors. The newly invented vehicle was later produced by several companies such as Krieger, Lohner-Porsche and Auto-Mixte.
…and then came to a standstill
Unfortunately, at that time, petrol-engine technology prevailed. The turning point was when Henry Ford started his first assembly line – the Ford company had developed the idea between 1908 and 1915. Ford introduced many improvements to petrol engines and subsequently decided on mass production to introduce the first affordable car – the Model T.
That car is now a legend.
From then on, the technology for steam-, electric- and hybrid-powered cars was neglected. Few were trying to work on the idea, and it was only when the issues of air pollution and global warming became serious that petrol alternatives were once again brought to the center of attention.
The rising price of oil also played its role and spurred interest in different energy sources. There was a massive increase in the price of oil in the 1970s, and in those years many automotive industry players, with governments’ blessings, came back to the idea of hybrid autos.
In those years, Volkswagen launched a hybrid-engined car (the VW Taxi); Toyota began working on the concept and built its first hybrid prototype; and the American government decided to use electric vehicles produced by American Motors.
A new beginning…
The launch of the Toyota Prius to the Japanese market in 1997 was a breakthrough in hybrid-car history. It was the first mass-produced modern vehicle of that type.
Soon, other manufacturers followed suit and hybrids were launched on the European and American markets. The fastest imitators were Audi and Honda.
Starting off, buyers were cautious and in the first year only 18,000 hybrid cars were sold. Nevertheless, the manufacturers were not discouraged and due to constant improvements, the popularity of hybrid cars has grown. In fact, from 2004–2007 the demand for the Prius was higher than the supply, and waiting lists were created for those willing to buy the car.
Hybrids are back for good
To sum up, it seems that the future of hybrid cars is now secure, as the technology is getting more popular and is supported by many governments. All the major car manufacturers are constantly working on new models and improving the older ones.
It seems that, after a century of neglect, hybrid technology is now here for good and hybrid cars are becoming the norm, not a rarity owned by few.
This post was contributed by Car Buyers’ Guide. Car Buyers’ Guide is the publisher of Ireland’s leading motoring websites and magazines. CBG.ie is the only motoring website to have exclusive partnerships with the leading national newspaper websites (The Iris Times and Independent Newspapers). CBG.ie is visited by buyers over 450,000 times per month and users view over 11.5 million pages on the website per month.
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Tags: hybrid autos, hybrid cars
July 25th, 2009 at 4:00 am
It’s interesting to observe that Ford was one of the pioneering agencies of electric cars when right now they’re the ones who really go so far just to make sure they’re the top carbon-producing car makers in the world. Quite ironic.