Last farewell to the experts
It is the Munson Electric-Gasoline Hybrid, built from 1898 to 1902 by the Munson Company, La Porte, Indiana.
"Munson employed electric starting with this system 14 years before self-starters became popular for gasoline engines. The car was started by moving a controller lever located in front of the driver. This lever directed current from the storage battery to the electric machine, which acted as a motor and started the gasoline engine. When the engine came up to speed, the current was through the machine. The motor acted a generator, sending charging current back to the storage battery. Ordinary speed regulation was effected by the controller. The controller also cut off the engine ignition system, thus, simultaneously starting and stopping both the engine and electric machine."
