With the hydrogen-fueled Toyota Mirai on the horizon this fall, what better time to look back at Toyota's other breakthrough in green driving technology: the hybrid.
The Toyota Prius took the US by storm when introduced in 2000. It was one of the first commercially available hybrids in 100 years.
Yes, you heard that right. Hybrids only got popular in the last 15 years, but they've been around for over 100.
The first hybrid, believe it or not, was invented in 1900 by none other than Ferdinand Porsche. But electric cars go even further back than that, with electric Taxis being used in NYC in 1897, and electric trolleys as far back as the 1880s.
So why did it take hybrids 100 years to re-emerge?
In the early 20th century, oil was abundant and cheap, and nobody realized that burning it could cause major changes to our planet. We've gotten smarter, and we at Capitol Toyota are proud that our new vehicles are designed to be as clean and efficient as possible.
