Monday, March 16, 2009

All About Plug-In Hybrids | Car Rentals

All About Plug-In Hybrids | Car Rentals: "As early as 1899, hybrid cars were being produced. The producer of these fascinating cars in those early years was Lohner-Porsche. These hybrid cars had to be charged externally.

In 1969, there was a July issue of Popular science. This issue featured an article on a plug-in hybrid manufactured by General Motors. The concept was that this plug-in hybrid car was a vehicle meant for traveling average distances. Called the General Motors XP-883, it had six 12-volt lead batteries located in the trunk area. And it was meant to be plugged into a standard 110-volt socket for recharging, and the fuel tank could hold about 10 liters.

In September of 2004, the California Cars initiative made a 2004 Toyota Prius prototype into what it called a PRIUS+, the difference being that the converted model had an add-on — there were 130 kg of lead-acid batteries onboard."

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