The Woods Motor Vehicle Company, a pioneer in early automobiles (1899-1918), specialized in elegant, quiet electric cars like the carriage-style Victoria, often featuring tillers and wood-spoked wheels, before creating groundbreaking, but underpowered, gasoline-electric hybrid "Dual Power" models, blending electric motors with gasoline engines for extended range, a concept similar to modern hybrids.

Key Characteristics

Pioneering Electrics: Began with luxurious, quiet electric cars, often with leather upholstery, distinctive body styles (Stanhope, Brougham), and tiller steering.

Innovative Hybrids: Famously produced the "Dual Power" series (e.g., 1917 Model 54), a hybrid system using a small gas engine with an electric motor, allowing for electric-only city driving and gas-assisted long trips, though it struggled with power.

Early Hybrid Tech: Incorporated features like regenerative braking, a precursor to modern hybrid technology, and even allowed the gas engine to charge batteries.

Design & Construction: Early models featured wood-spoked wheels and ornate bodies, while later hybrids aimed for more modern looks but faced challenges with performance.

Market Position: Competed with other early electric makes but eventually struggled as gasoline cars became dominant, leading to the company's closure around 1918.