Who Invented The Hybrid Car?
If you are an environment lover and has financial concerns on your shoulders, the hybrid car would be suitable for you. While it may appear to be a modern invention, the idea has been around since the 20th century. If you are wondering who invented the hybrid car, read on.
In 1665, a Jesuit priest and astronomer named Ferdinand Verbiest started designing a four-wheeled wagon that would move on its own, powered by steam. He carried on into 1680, but it is unknown if he ever built it or if it would work at all. Then, in 976, a Frenchman named Nicholas Cugnot built the first functioning steam-powered vehicle, which was able to travel at 6 miles per hour. However, it could not produce enough steam to make the vehicle move faster, nor could it hold enough fuel so it could travel a further distance. After that, many other inventors tried to build different forms of horseless carriages, especially when the idea of electricity was fresh then. A number of them claimed to have invented the hybrid car, but they carried lots of flaws. It was in 1839 when Scotsman Robert Anderson created the first electric-powered car, but had problems maintaining their charge. Then, in 1870, Sir David Solomon made one that had light motor with heavy duty battery, which cost its speed and range.
Only until the 20th century, Motorola cars founder Russell Feldman approached Victor Wouk, and electrical engineer, regarding concerns on how car emissions can cause pollution. With his friend’s assistance, Charlie Rosen, they were able to combine capacity of a gas-powered engine with low emission rate that an electric-powered car would have, into the body of a Buick Skylark. Thus, Wouk is known as the person who invented the hybrid car. Throughout the 1960′s and 1970′s, Wouk continued to develop hybrid cars, but it was only in the late 1990′s that they became commercially available.
By Chris Cornell