Porsche Had World's First Hybrid 100 Years Ago

One of the lesser recognized facts in the history of the automobile is that in the late 1800's and early 1900's electric vehicles were the most popular. But one of the most curious is Ferdinand Porsche's first vehicle. Dr. Porsche is the founder of the sports car company which still bears his name, Porsche.

This vehicle was a serial hybrid design. It had four hub motors, one in each wheel, and it had a gasoline engine which was used soley to charge the batteries. With this car he set land speed records of the time.

"Unfortunately, Porsche didn't see any reason to continue development of these hybrid vehicles, as gasoline became exceptionally cheap, and the extra electric motors were prohibitively expensive. And now, 100 years later, the last thing Porsche is concerned with is efficiency."

The car is due to have been displayed at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show.

Tree Hugger notes from May 2005 that Porsche announced a hybrid version of its Cayenne SUV to be sold in the 2008/2009 model year.