Considering all the excitement of hybrid energy vehicles, HEVs, the first such vehicle was actually developed by the Greeks for use in their warships. It was a sailing vessel that included oars for use when the wind wasnt favorable to moving the ship. In more recent times, the history of hybrid power encompasses the moped and electric bicycles that used either gas or electric motors coupled with muscle power to move the vehicles. However, in modern times, the history of hybrid cars didnt begin until around 1905.
Although the concept of combining an electric motor with a gasoline engine dates back to 1905, the abundance of oil and the more powerful gasoline engines put the idea in storage. During the oil shortages of the 1970s the history of hybrid cars received a boost as the United States started looking for ways to save gasoline. As oil again became more plentiful, the idea was shelved once more. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Toyota looked at the $3 per gallon price of gasoline in Japan and got serious about developing a true hybrid energy vehicle, unveiling the Prius in Japan in 1995. Its aggressive approach to development of the Prius made it the first...