Quick Hybrid Cars history

1839: Robert Anderson of Aberdeen, Scotland built the first electric vehicle.

1886: historical records indicate that an electric powered taxicab using a battery with 28 cells and a small motor. It was introduced in England.

1897: The London Electric Cab Company began regular service using cars which has a 40 cell battery with 3 horsepower electric motor. This was designed by Walter Bersey.

1899: The Pope Manufacturing company merged with two smaller electric car companies to from the Electric Vehicle Company. They were the first American automobile industry with $200 million assets.

1900: American car companies made about 1600 steam, 1500 electric and 900 gasoline cars.

1904: The Electric vehicle Company built 2000 taxicabs, trucks, and buses and set up subsidiary cab and car rental companies from New York to Chicago. In the same year, Henry Ford overcome the challenges posed by gasoline powered cars and began assembly line production of low prices, lightweight, gas powered vehicles. In few years, the Electric Vehicle Company failed.

1913: Steam and electric cars were almost completely wiped out. Both of their sales dropped dramaticly while Ford was gaining market share with the gasoline cars.

1920 – 1965: Electric and hybrid cars were used as alternative cars to become the province of backyard tinkerers and small time industrialists.

1966: US Congress introduced first bills recommending the use of electric vehicles as a means of reducing air pollution.

1969: A very light weighted experimental hybrid car called the GM 512 ran entirely on electric power up to 10 miles per hour.

1974: Engineer Victor Wouk and Charlie Rosen created a prototype hybrid gas electric vehicle using a Buick Skylark body as a part of the Federal Clean Car Incentive Program.

1977 – 1979: General Motors spent over $20 million in electric car development and research reporting that electric vehicles could be in production by the mid of 1980s.

1989: Audi unveiled the first generation of the Audi Duo experimental vehicle. The car had 12.6 horsepower electric engine. A nickel cadmium battery supplied the energy.

1991: The United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC), a department of energy program, launched a major program to produce a “super battery to get viable electric vehicle on the road as soon as possible.

1992: Toyota motor Corporation announced the ‘earth Charter”, A document outlining goals to develop and market vehicles with the lowest emissions possible.

1997: Toyota Prius was introduced to the Japanese market. The first year sales were nearly 18,000 units.

1997: Audi became the first manufacturer in Europe to take a hybrid vehicle into volume production.

1999: Honda released the two door Insight which is the first hybrid car to hit the mass market in the US.

2000: Toyota released the Toyota Prius which is the first hybrid four door sedan cars available in the United States.

2002: Honda introduced the Honda Civic Hybrid, its second commercially available hybrid gasoline electric car.

2004: Toyota Prius II launched and won 2004 car of the year awards from Motor Trend Magazine and the North American Auto Show.

2004: In September, Ford released the Escape Hybrid, the first American Hybrid and the first SUV hybrid.


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Abdulrahman Al-Homaid