Pic-A-Day (71) Albert Mach Fine Art.
Electric Auto Information:
This is a General interest post for auto aficionados sharing a pictorial history over the decades.
I hope you enjoy the educational - historical information!......
In the beginning...
There were many electric cars made. In fact more electric ones than gas.
The high time for electrics was from 1895 till the beginning of the first world war. 
Today there is a resurgence of electrics as well as hybrid-electrics.

In 1901 Ferdinand Porsche developed the Lohner-Porsche Mixte Hybrid, the first gasoline-electric hybrid automobile in the world. The hybrid-electric vehicle did not become widely available until the release of the Toyota Prius in Japan in 1997, followed by the Honda Insight in 1999. While initially perceived as unnecessary due to the low cost of gasoline, worldwide increases in the price of petroleum caused many automakers to release hybrids in the late 2000s; they are now perceived as a core segment of the automotive market of the future.

Here is some interesting early history of hybrid-electrics:
In 1900, while employed at Lohner Coach Factory, Ferdinand Porsche developed the Mixte, a 4WD series-hybrid version of "System Lohner-Porsche" electric carriage previously appeared in 1900 Paris World Fair. George Fischer sold hybrid buses to England in 1901; Knight Neftal produced a racing hybrid in 1902.

In 1905, Henri Pieper of Germany/Belgium introduced a hybrid vehicle with an electric motor/generator, batteries, and a small gasoline engine. It used the electric motor to charge its batteries at cruise speed and used both motors to accelerate or climb a hill. The Pieper factory was taken over by Imperia, after Pieper died. The 1915 Dual Power, made by the Woods Motor Vehicle electric car maker, had a four-cylinder ICE and an electric motor. Below 15 mph the electric motor alone drove the vehicle, drawing power from a battery pack, and above this speed the "main" engine cut in to take the car up to its 35 mph top speed. About 600 were made up to 1918. The Woods hybrid was a commercial failure, proving to be too slow for its price, and too difficult to service. The United States Army's 1928 Experimental Motorized Force tested a gasoline-electric bus in a truck convoy.
In 1931 Erich Gaichen invented and drove from Altenburg to Berlin a 1/2 horsepower electric car containing features later incorporated into hybrid cars. Its maximum speed was 25 miles per hour, but it was licensed by the Motor Transport Office, taxed by the German Revenue Department and patented by the German Reichs-Patent Amt. The car battery was re-charged by the motor when the car went downhill. Additional power to charge the battery was provided by a cylinder of compressed air which was re-charged by small air pumps activated by vibrations of the chassis and the brakes and by igniting oxyhydrogen gas.In 1905, Henri Pieper of Germany/Belgium introduced a hybrid vehicle with an electric motor/generator, batteries, and a small gasoline engine. It used the electric motor to charge its batteries at cruise speed and used both motors to accelerate or climb a hill. The Pieper factory was taken over by Imperia, after Pieper died. The 1915 Dual Power, made by the Woods Motor Vehicle electric car maker, had a four-cylinder ICE and an electric motor. Below 15 mph the electric motor alone drove the vehicle, drawing power from a battery pack, and above this speed the "main" engine cut in to take the car up to its 35 mph top speed. About 600 were made up to 1918. The Woods hybrid was a commercial failure, proving to be too slow for its price, and too difficult to service. The United States Army's 1928 Experimental Motorized Force tested a gasoline-electric bus in a truck convoy.

According to:
http://www.automostory.com/first-hybrid-car.htm
The history of hybrid cars goes a long way back. We can easily say that the first hybrid car in the world was introduced over 100 years ago in 1899 by none other than the big name Porsche. Back then introducing a hybrid car was a huge step taken by the Porsche manufacturers.
The first hybrid car called the Lohner-Porsche Mixte Hybrid (Semper Vivus) had in-wheel electric motors and on-board gas engine to recharge the batteries. Because of this, it was considered to be a very unique vehicle. Of the first hybrid cars pictured above the bottom picture is of the first hybrid car invented and the top photo is of the first hybrid car sold.
In 1905 the Woods Interurban hybrid car was introduced as the second hybrid car ever made but switching from gasoline engine to electric motor took 15 minutes which was not consumer-friendly. Also in 1905 a German inventor named Henri Pieper developed a parallel hybrid car which he would gain a patent on in 1909. The Galt Gas Electric hybrid car would be introduced in Canada in 1914.
Considering the time when the first series hybrid car was introduced by Porsche, it was not an easy task. It was something completely different and was considered as a big risk. This hybrid car's battery could only be charged by its onboard engine, and it did not require an electrical plug. Because it was a bit radical for the times it did not do well with the masses.
The genius Ferdinand Porsche came up with the concept of hybrid cars and the first with hub motors. The hybrid car was not ahead of its time only because it was the first gas-electric hybrid, but it was one of the earliest cars being developed with an eye towards being an everyday commercial vehicle. The Porsche hybrid could travel almost 40 miles (64.3 kilometers), when the battery was fully charged.
The first hybrid car in the world, introduced by Porsche, was designed in a way that it removed the requirement for a gearbox, drive shafts or chains and a clutch. This reduced a considerable amount of mechanical friction and allowed the vehicle to use 83 percent of the energy, which is more efficient than today's internal combustion engine vehicles.
Later on, Porsche added hub motors to all four wheels, which enhanced the torque and power of the first hybrid car and permitted it to reach at the top speed of 70 mph (112.6 kilometers per hour).
The trend of hybrid cars did not take place because of the cheap availability of gasoline. But then again, this invention was appreciated a lot by a few automotive experts and enthusiasts. Manufacturing a hybrid car is not that easy even in today's world as there is much technology to be considered. Coming up with the concept of a hybrid car 100 years back was an amazing initiative by Ferdinand Porsche, which has come full circle and has proven to be a great idea once again today.
Hybrid cars and plug-in hybrids are growing in popularity in today's world, because they are environmentally friendly and save on gasoline which is not nearly as cheap as it used to be.
The reason why Porsche stopped manufacturing such cars was that electric motors became more expensive and gasoline went on becoming quite cheap. Full battery-electric cars suffered the same fate because of long recharging times and they did not have nearly the range of gasoline-powered vehicles.
Since there were no economic reasons to further develop hybrid cars at that time, Porsche stopped manufacturing the vehicles and continued to make regular gasoline-powered cars, which obviously have always been very popular among car lovers all these years.