CIEM 1901-1906 - Hybrid pioneer
Summary
There were around 10,000 car brands and designers - most of them have disappeared. CIEM is one of them. Originally an electrical appliance and electric machine manufacturer, CIE also produced combustion engines from 1902. Their parallel hybrid systems used a dynamo generator combined with a battery, and the brand last known as Stella manufactured such electric motors until 1913.
Estimated reading time: 3min
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From 1901, the Compagnie de l'Industrie Electrique (CIE) in Geneva-Sécheron built not only electrical appliances and machines based on René Thury's patents, but also electric cars, and after expanding its activities to include internal combustion engines, it changed its name in 1902 to CIEM for ... et Mécanique. In 1903, a "voiture mixte" was presented in which a 16 hp V4 engine was combined with a dynamo generator and a 44-element battery. With this parallel hybrid system (as we would say today), the CIEM car could travel up to 50 km electrically. When driving downhill, its battery pack was also recharged without a petrol engine, which could be started with the dynamo, eliminating the need for the usual cranking. And the car parked in the garage could be used to power the house lights. In 1904, there was a small car with an 8 hp V2 and a 30-element battery.
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