History Hybrid Car

People may be surprised to know that the idea of electric and hybrid vehicles have been present even before the gasoline engine was invented.With the rise of health-threatening pollutants, new age electric and hybrid vehicles are truly becoming a reality.

When Electric Cars Ruled the World
Professor Stratingh of Groningen from Holland designed a simple electric car. Christopher Becker was Stratingh's assistant who built the model in 1835. In 1842, Thomas Davenport from the United States and Robert Davidson from Scotland built more advanced electric vehicles with the use of non-rechargeable electric cells. Gaston Plante from France improved the storage battery and created a better model in 1865.
During the late 1800s, several European nations like Great Britain and France began the spread of electric vehicles while constantly innovating for better design and performance. Electric cars did not need gear changes. The United States followed with the creation of electric tricycles.
In 1916, Woods invented the first hybrid consisting of an electric motor and combustion engine.
Production peak for electric vehicles were from 1910 to 1912. During the 1920s, road systems were significantly improved so people needed vehicles that traveled farther than electric cars.
Charles Kettering invented the electric starter for gasoline cars taking away the tedious hand crank. Henry Ford and his idea of mass production at lower costs continued to reduce the popularity of electric cars. Gasoline cars at this point were only about one-third the price of an electric vehicle.
From 1935 to 1960, electric vehicles were slowly fading from the scene. However, people began looking for alternative fueled vehicles in order to solve problems on pollution and the growing price of gasoline. More practical models of electric vehicles were proposed.
A number of actions were also imposed in the United States and across the globe to exert effort in improving electric vehicles.
Other states required vehicles to have zero emission.
Recent electric and hybrid models are able to generate energy through special energy-converting systems. Hybrid models had special dual engines running on both gasoline and electricity which helped conserve a lot of fuel aside from being environmentally friendly.
Hybrids: The Pollution Solution

Gasoline engines were proven to be reliable and powerful. However, the constant burning of gasoline released a variety of harmful gases like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxide.
The result would be global warming wherein surface air temperatures and sub-surface temperatures in the ocean would rise.
Electric and hybrid vehicles have shown to be very promising in reducing the greenhouse effect.
Hybrids Today and Tomorrow

Hybrid vehicles have gone through many changes over the years. Ever since the Toyota Prius came out, bigger and more equipped hybrids were released. The Ford Escape hybrid came out in 2004, which jumpstarted the production of luxury hybrid cars.
Early hybrid vehicles were limited to manual transmissions and air-conditioning.
Nowadays customers have more options with Sports Utility Vehicles and luxury car hybrids.
Last year luxury sedans and Sport Utility Vehicles were released.
Apart from having the latest technology from their manufacturers, such as the Hybrid Synergy System from Toyota, they are also decked out with touch navigational systems, surround sound with DVD and VCD supporting stereo systems, ventilation seats, and multiple CD changers on the dashboard.
Gear-ratio steering, continuous variable transmission, variable suspension, and regenerative breaking are standard among luxury car hybrids.

Hybrids that will be released in 2008 feature the Cadillac Escalade.
Ford will launch its first hybrid sedan with Mercury Milan Hybrid. Mercedes will also release the hybrid version of their S-class sedan.
Honda will release a smaller and more affordable hybrid to compete with Toyota who dominates the market.
No matter which hybrid vehicle you will choose, expect more hybrids to come.