The first major PHEV that can be discussed in a relatively popular context was the Audi Duo PHEV. This vehicle was first created in 1989 and based on the chassis that was given by the Audi 100, a solid automobile of the time. At the time this was not going to be a traditional PHEV because the driver of the vehicle was expected to choose a mode with the basic intention being that electricity would be used in city driving and gasoline would be used in highway driving. At most only 10 of these devices were manufactured however and the project was eventually abandoned.

Audi was not done with PHEV technology however as they decided to release a 2nd version of their Audi Duo PHEV in 1998. This featured improved technology, improved weight and an overall improvement in performance as a result of those two factors. However, even with these improvements, the market was still not heavily interested in PHEVs and as a result Audi only managed to manufacture about 60 of these vehicles outside of the normal assembly lines that go a long way towards determining which automobile types become successful in both the international and domestic markets.

It was only around the turn of the 21st century that action started to happen in favour of the hybrid solution. The formation of various groups in the early part of the decade such as the Hybrid Electric Vehicle Alliance in 2000 and the National Center of Hybrid Excellence in 2001 allowed groups to exist that were able to disseminate information to the public and educate people on the existence of hybrid electric vehicles. For a market that seemed wary to make the complete shift from gasoline to electricity, the PHEV provided an impressive go-between that allowed people to experience the benefits that could come with electricity while at the same time still holding to the gasoline engines that they felt comfortable with.

Throughout the decade, the state of California within the United States has really been one of the forward thinkers on this issue as they have created numerous work groups within their universities and research institutes, allowing people to take much closer looks at hybrid technology with the express purpose of improving it to the point where it could be competitive with gasoline technology.

At the same time that researchers and thinkers have been looking at interesting new prototypes, private car companies have been able to really benefit from the renewed interest in hybrid electric vehicles. The PHEV concept is a lot easier to mass produce than its counterpart electric vehicle concept and while mass production of PHEVs is not something that has really taken place to date, the construction of larger numbers of famous PHEVs that have now become known to the general public is something that has really helped propel this new line of automobiles forward.

The Toyota Prius is of course the celebrated example of a PHEV and it has received great amounts of popularity and customer appreciation throughout the world. Toyota Prius automobiles are now available for rent from many dealerships as well, proving that this particular automobile has found its way into a certain popular niche in many areas of the world. The Toyota Camry PHEV, although far less popular, has also attained a certain amount of fame since it is a hybrid electric version of one of the best-selling automobiles of all time. Other examples of popular PHEV choices over the decade have included the Ford Escape PHEV and the Nissan Altima PHEV.