People Behind Inventions: Hybrid Gasoline/Electric Car

Although electric cars are not yet popular because existing batteries cannot provide a range compatible to gasoline cars, some car manufactures now offer hybrid gasoline/electric cars. For instance, Toyota makes the "Prius," which has a gasoline engine and an electric motor that work together providing a more efficient use of fuel. When the load on the power train increases, the engine and electric motor work simultaneously; when the load drops, only the gasoline engine works, charging the battery. Thus, the "Prius" never truly runs as an electric car. Only at start or during slow movement it is propelled by electric motor. In the city it runs with a mileage of 54 miles/gal. On highways it runs with a mileage of 46 miles/gal. Even though Toyota sold over 35,000 hybrid cars in Japan, it is not yet popular in U.S.A.

Hybrid cars were not invented overnight. Electric cars have been in use since more than 100 years ago - Thomas Edison and Henry Ford built an electric car more than 120 years ago. However, an absence of appropriate batteries halted their implementation until now. More than 20 years ago, in the late 70's, two inventors, Gerald Fields and Robert Metzner, founded Hybricon, Inc. and built a hybrid car, Centaur (US patent #4,351,405, September 28, 1982). This was prior to Toyota's development of the hybrid car. Based on a Honda 600 front-wheel-drive sedan, Fields and Metzner's Centaur has two electric motors and batteries in addition to a conventional gasoline engine. In the city it runs as an entirely electric car with a range up to 60 miles.

"During early 1980 we demonstrated the car to two General Motors engineers who came out to North Hollywood. They were fascinated by our controller, which operated in the inaudible range. Theirs was audible and emitted a whine which was unpleasant to hear, and they could not figure out how to make theirs quiet. After testing it they decided that for their first version of an electric car they wanted to use our controller," said Gerald Fields. "This was at the height of the second gasoline shortage. However, since gasoline prices were coming down, GM put their electric car on hold. Soon after that GM canceled the project," continued Mr. Fields.

Inventors are stubborn people. They know that of hundreds of patents only a few earn back the invested money. However, they continue to try. Inventors Gerald Fields and Robert Metzner were comparatively lucky: originally they invested about one million dollars and spent almost all of it to build their experimental car. However, in 1979 they merged with another company and got all of their money back. The majority of inventors loose all of their money if they cannot manufacture their inventions or sell it. As Jerry Fields said, five years ago their Centaur was donated to the Petersen Automobile Museum in Los Angeles. Now the museum is in the process of preparing an exhibit of a 1917 hybrid car, the 1979 Centaur by Hybricon, and Prius 2001 by Toyota.

Researchers at SF Industries, Inc. invented and built a prototype of a new gas turbine engine that will consume the same amount of fuel than a diesel of the same power. Currently, gas turbine engines consume about twice as much fuel as diesels. A lack of funds put the project on hold. The mentioned engine can be used in conventional cars, hybrid cars, engine generator sets, etc. Can inventors protect their legal rights and earn money from this invention? Even being very optimistic, they have a very slim chance. Realistically - none. Would they continue to try to develop it? Yes, it is the inventor's nature.

Inventors Gerald Fields and Robert Metzner

Toyota "Prius"

Gas turbine engine designed by SF Industries, Inc.