In 1979, Toyota entered into a collaboration with Exxon to work together on the oil company’s novel gas-electric hybrid drive system. Pages of the work plan can be seen here.
In 1981 Exxon’s engineers delivered a hybrid gas-electric Toyota Cressida to Japan. It was outfitted with Exxon’s technology that enabled use of an AC (alternating current) motor in a hybrid—cheaper, smaller and more reliable than DC (direct current) motors.
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