A Short History of the Hybrid Automobile
A hybrid vehicle is one that uses a rechargeable energy storage system. This is coupled with a fueled propulsion power source for the automobiles propulsion. The Hybrid car is low-gas consuming vehicle, therefore, a low-polluting vehicle.
Hybrid cars should not be confused with electric cars. Electric cars use batteries that are charged by an external source while hybrids still need gasoline or diesel as fuel sources. The hybrid uses a combination of either ethanol and sometimes hydrogen.
The development of the first transistor-based electric car in 1959, the Henney Kilowatt, rang in a new era in the development of the automobile and the hybrid itself. This transistor-based electric car, paved the way for the electronic speed control. It also set the stage for additional development which led to the modern hybrid electric cars.
A gentleman named Victor Wouk, a scientist involved with the development of the Henney Kilowatt, developed another prototype of the electric hybrid sometime in the 1960s or early 1970s. Many historians consider Victor Wouk the Godfather of the hybrid car.
The Federal Clean Car Incentive of 1970 opened up research and development of the hybrid automobiles but the EPA later cut the program in 1976. Hybrid enthusiasts continued to to build the hybrid but non of the models were ever put in production.
The core design concept of most hybrids is termed regenerative braking. It was developed by 1978 by David Arthur’s, an electrical engineer. Arthurs used off-the-shelf parts but the voltayge controller was Arthurs design.
In the 1990 the Bill Clinton administration initiated the partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles program. It involved the Department of Energy, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, USCAR, and various governmental agencies. The objective of this partnership was to develop a clean, efficient vehicle.
The Bush administration replaced the program in 1993 and replaced it with a hydrogen focused initiative. This FreedomCAR initiative was to fund development considered too high risk for the private sector.
It wasn’t until the introduction the Japanese automakers brought the hybrid into mass production with the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight. The hybrid car appears to be the evolution of the gas fueled car. Not a moment too soon!
