The current state of hybrids: What you need to know

The most commonly used and commercialized hybrid automobile combines an electrically powered motor with a conventional gasoline engine. According to Tim Maxwell, professor of mechanical engineering and co-head of the advanced vehicle engineering lab at Texas Tech University, a simple hybrid technology was first developed for use in only a handful of cars, in the early 1900s, when gasoline engines were not able to generate enough power on their own. By 1915, gasoline engines were powerful enough that it was easier to build cars without the complicated hybrid technology.

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