When you think about Hybrid cars, you probably think about the Toyota Prius, the Hyundai Ioniq, or maybe even the Acura MDX Sport Hybrid, depending on your taste. Some might even credit the Toyota Prius for jumpstarting the hybrid movement, and I guess it kind of did, but the truth is that it wasn’t anywhere near being the first hybrid and once you learn about this 1916 Owen Magnetic Hybrid, you’re going to realize that we really haven’t come all that far in the last 100 years.

What is the Owen Magnetic?

The Owen Magnetic wasn’t just special because it was a very early hybrid. It was the most technologically sophisticated car of its day, and it was one of the first truly automatic vehicles. I know you’re going to scream that GM made the first good-working automatic transmission, coined the Hydra-matic, in 1940, but that’s a different story and a different technology, so calm down, buddy. Back to the Owen Magnetic, its driveline consisted of an inline-six engine paired with a Magnetic Drive transmission system. And, this is where things get weird and are way different from the hybrids that you know today.

Owen Magnetic Drive – An Interesting and Unappreciated Concept

To be more specific it was the driving force for the electromagnetic transmission’s 24-volt generator. In other words, it was a range extender of sorts. To put it simply, the engine’s crankshaft what attached to a horseshoe magnet which spun around an armature connected to the electric motor\generator, creating the energy that would the motor would use to drive the wheels. There was no physical connection between the transmission and the engine – just a magnetic field. This is similar to the way an alternator works in today’s cars.

What Happened to the Own Magnetic?

Long story short, the Own Magnetic may have been a true pioneer in the world of hybrid mobility, but it wasn’t without its faults. The biggest fault being its price. It was a nice car, but it was an expensive car. At the time, a Ford Model T would set you back $360 while a Cadillac came in at around $2,000. The Owen Magnetic, however, started at $3,700 and the price increased from there to around $6,000 or maybe a little more. Production started in 1915 and ended in 1918 after just 700 models were built. Production was supposed to restart with the changeover to 1920, but by August of 2020 Owen Magnetic fell into financial trouble and found itself in receivership. The Magnetic was written into the history books and slowly forgotten after that.

However, if you want to know more about it, Jay Leno has a very nice example sitting in his garage and you can learn more in his video below.