History of the Electric Automobile: Hybrid Electric Vehicles

This survey of electric vehicles focuses on those vehicles which harness the potential of electricity when combined with another energy source. The book provides detailed information on the historical development of capacitors, engines, flywheels, fuel cells, inductive charging, solar cells, and the application of each to hybrid electric vehicles. Sections include: the research undertaken in previous centuries which led to the first electric vehicle in 1881; historical efforts to overcome the limited range of electric vehicles (including examinations of the round spring, the Stirling engine, the flywheel, solar cells, and more); the growing interest in races featuring hybrid electric vehicles (including the Australian World Solar Challenge races, and the American Tour de Sol).