That was not yet known to me: “31.10.2008 – As the inventor of the hybrid drive for cars, Russian engineer Alexander Severinsky is now moving into the Hall of Fame of the American University of Maryland. This is reported by the US daily newspaper “Baltimore Sun”. After 15 years of development, the inventor emigrated from the Soviet Union in 1978 filed a patent for the prototype of a car with a combined gasoline and electric drive. In addition, Toyota will have to pay Severinsky $25 for each hybrid car sold until the patent expires in 2012. However, the question of the authorship of the hybrid drive – as with many major inventions – is not clarified. Besides Toyota and Honda, Porsche can also claim, because already in 1900 Ferdinan brought d Porsche with the Lohner Porsche the first standard hybrid car on the market. The open two-seater also had a combustion and an electric motor and could store energy in a battery.” Just google “Alexander Severinsky”