Woods Dual Power from 1917 - an early hybrid vehicle
When we talk about hybrid passenger cars, the name Toyota Prius immediately springs to mind. But many years earlier, in 1917, the Woods company was already building hybrid vehicles.
The Woods Dual Power was equipped with a 12 hp four-cylinder gasoline engine and an electric motor that received its energy from a battery. The speed was controlled by a lever on the steering wheel and when the battery was empty, control could be transferred to the gasoline engine by means of an electric clutch. The electric motor was then used as a dynamo and recharged the batteries. Brakes only had to be used for speeds below 10 km/h, otherwise the braking effect of the electric motor was sufficient.
Even a synchronous mode was provided, which allowed the car to reach its top speed of 56 km/h, while the electric motor alone was only sufficient for 30 km/h.
As a special feature, the car could only be driven in reverse when the petrol engine was not in operation. A gearbox was not provided, nor was a conventional clutch. In principle, the car could only be started using electricity.
Woods had started to produce electric vehicles in 1899. Dual power was introduced in 1917, but unfortunately the factory had to close just one year later. It was not until 1997 that another manufacturer launched a series-produced hybrid vehicle on the market.
However, the Woods Dual Power was not the first hybrid vehicle, this honor probably goes to the Lohner-Porsche (picture below).
A Wood Dual Power can be viewed in the Louwman Museum in The Hague in the Netherlands . According to the museum, it is in a drivable condition.
