The market share of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) is expected to increase worldwide through at least the next decade, up to around 10% of the market. The modern hybrid era arguably begins in 1997, with the introduction of the Toyota® Prius, which remains the best-selling hybrid model to this day.

The invention of the HEV, however, has a much longer history. Consider U.S. patent number 1,244,025, which states, in part:

“My invention relates to automobiles, and particularly to a type provided with dual propulsion units one of which is preferably in the form of a gasolene (sic) engine and the other in the form of an electric dynamo and its accompanying storage battery.” 


Plan view of the Woods Dual Power vehicle, which was produced from 1915 to 1918.

This particular patent, assigned to the Woods Motor Vehicle Co. of Chicago, Ill., clearly describes an HEV. Notably, the company actually produced the vehicle, called the Woods Dual Power, from 1915 to 1918. A few still exist, including examples on display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich., and the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, Calif.

While mileage was hardly a concern in the automobile’s early days, the Woods hybrid did solve some of the vexing problems confronting motorists. Most cars were not yet equipped with electric starters, so manual cranking was required to start the engine. Cranking was difficult and dangerous, often resulting in broken wrists, dislocated shoulders or worse injuries. The Woods hybrid used the electric motor to move the car at low speeds, and then the momentum of the vehicle could start the gasoline engine.

The Woods Dual Power was not a “plugin” vehicle, meaning there was no provision for connecting the vehicle to an external electric source to charge the battery. Instead, excess power from the gasoline engine was used to drive the electric motor to produce electricity, effectively converting the motor into a generator, and the current, thus, generated used to charge the battery. Thus, the problems of long charging times and availability of charging infrastructure were eliminated.

The innovations didn’t stop there. Consider this claim:

“At any speed above six miles per hour, dynamic breaking (sic) may be effected…This causes the electric motor to run as an electric generator driven by the gasoline motor or by the momentum of the car. The power thus generated is used for charging the battery.”

Every modern electric vehicle, starting with the General Motors EV1 in 1999, uses this strategy. Now termed “regenerative braking,” this is a major contributor to increasing range in pure electric cars and increasing efficiency of hybrids, both conventional and plug-in.

The Woods Motor Vehicle Co. went out of business in 1919 after almost 30 years. As innovative and convenient as their products were, they could not overcome one key disadvantage: cost. Both their pure electric and hybrid offerings were considerably more expensive than the internal combustion vehicles of the time. For example, the Woods Dual Power sold for $2,650 in 1916, while the Ford Model T runabout sold for $345 the same year.