First Hybrid Car

The history of hybrid cars goes a long way back. We can easily say that the first hybrid car in the world was introduced over 100 years ago in 1899 by none other than the big name Porsche. Back then introducing a hybrid car was a huge step taken by the Porsche manufacturers.

The first hybrid car called the Lohner-Porsche Mixte Hybrid (Semper Vivus) had in-wheel electric motors and on-board gas engine to recharge the batteries. Because of this, it was considered to be a very unique vehicle. Of the first hybrid cars pictured above the bottom picture is of the first hybrid car invented and the top photo is of the first hybrid car sold.

In 1905 the Woods Interurban hybrid car was introduced as the second hybrid car ever made but switching from gasoline engine to electric motor took 15 minutes which was not consumer-friendly. Also in 1905 a German inventor named Henri Pieper developed a parallel hybrid car which he would gain a patent on in 1909. The Galt Gas Electric hybrid car would be introduced in Canada in 1914.

Considering the time when the first series hybrid car was introduced by Porsche, it was not an easy task. It was something completely different and was considered as a big risk. This hybrid car's battery could only be charged by its onboard engine, and it did not require an electrical plug. Because it was a bit radical for the times it did not do well with the masses.

The genius Ferdinand Porsche came up with the concept of hybrid cars and the first with hub motors. The hybrid car was not ahead of its time only because it was the first gas-electric hybrid, but it was one of the earliest cars being developed with an eye towards being an everyday commercial vehicle. The Porsche hybrid could travel almost 40 miles (64.3 kilometers), when the battery was fully charged.

The first hybrid car in the world, introduced by Porsche, was designed in a way that it removed the requirement for a gearbox, drive shafts or chains and a clutch. This reduced a considerable amount of mechanical friction and allowed the vehicle to use 83 percent of the energy, which is more efficient than today's internal combustion engine vehicles.

Later on, Porsche added hub motors to all four wheels, which enhanced the torque and power of the first hybrid car and permitted it to reach at the top speed of 70 mph (112.6 kilometers per hour).

The trend of hybrid cars did not take place because of the cheap availability of gasoline. But then again, this invention was appreciated a lot by a few automotive experts and enthusiasts. Manufacturing a hybrid car is not that easy even in today's world as there is much technology to be considered. Coming up with the concept of a hybrid car 100 years back was an amazing initiative by Ferdinand Porsche, which has come full circle and has proven to be a great idea once again today.

Hybrid cars and plug-in hybrids are growing in popularity in today's world, because they are environmentally friendly and save on gasoline which is not nearly as cheap as it used to be.

The reason why Porsche stopped manufacturing such cars was that electric motors became more expensive and gasoline went on becoming quite cheap. Full battery-electric cars suffered the same fate because of long recharging times and they did not have nearly the range of gasoline-powered vehicles.

Since there were no economic reasons to further develop hybrid cars at that time, Porsche stopped manufacturing the vehicles and continued to make regular gasoline-powered cars, which obviously have always been very popular among car lovers all these years.

External Links

Hybrid Buzz - additional information about current and past hybrid cars.