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The First Real Hybrid
by Scott HarkerToday, the Toyota Prius is probably the best known of the present crop of hybrid cars. Why?
Toyota decided that they would not be left out and established their own research and development project into hybrid cars. Way ahead of other manufacturers, they unveiled a working model of a hybrid car in 1995.
Toyota continued to move ahead and in the incredibly short space of just 2 years, had refined the original
prototype of their hybrid cars into a full production model - a model ready to be sold to an increasingly
environmentally aware public.When first introduced in 1997, the Toyota Prius hybrid car was intended to be chiefly effective in reducing the amount of carbon and greenhouse gases that the car emitted. The car's main purpose was to promote a cleaner environment in densely populated areas. These usually urban areas are plagued by smog, a modern day by-product of a mobile population that prefers to travel in their own vehicle rather than using the public transportation network.
In the summer of 2000, the Toyota Prius hybrid car was introduced to the North American public for the first time. Due to a limited import stock, the model was only obtainable through an online ordering system. Despite this, the demand was such that there were severe delays in delivery. The enthusiasm for this new and innovative design well exceeded the intitial inventory available.
In 2001, the original American hybrid cars project was discontinued. The major US manufacturers without the input of, and money from, the government, halted most of their research and development in this area. This decision left Toyota well positioned to take up the slack in the anticipated growth of the hybrid cars market and were already working on an updated and more efficient model to press home their advantage.
The year 2004 was a banner one for the Toyota Prius hybrid car. The car was awarded the greatest honor in American motoring when it chosen as the North American Car of the Year. This was the first time the award had been won by a hybrid car. The award placed the gold seal of approval on the model and, in part, ensured the success of the concept of hybrid cars as transportation for the average driver.
The value of a hybrid vehicle was further established when fuel prices began to rise and the need for economy increased. There is never a greater impetus to the success of a new and innovative product than a positive effect on the money left in the pockets of the consumer.
Another financial impetus to the sales of hybrid cars came with special tax breaks announced by the Bush Administration. These tax breaks were designed to encourage the consumer towards cleaner and more fuel-efficient vehicles.
Hybrid cars were now seen as a double bonus for the whole population. The model promoted a cleaner environment by reducing the amount of carbon and greenhouse gas emissions. It also was seen, if taken up by a significant amount of drivers, that hybrid cars could help reduce the consumers need for gas and make the US more self sufficient in fuel needs.
Before the introduction of the Toyota Prius, hybrid cars had not been widely available to the average car owner. The cars were largely thought of as experimental and not practical for everyday motoring. The Toyota Prius changed all this, bringing the notion of a cleaner, more efficient, and more environmentally friendly hybrid cars within the grasp of the average consumer.
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