Ferdinand Porsche, it seems, was always ahead of the curve. He conceived one of the earliest electric cars back in 1900, which later added a gas engine to compensate for its primitive lead batteries. Today, we'd call that a range-extended EV, and those may be the next big thing in electrification. 

But that car had another bit of technology that's coming around again: in-wheel hub motors, which eventually gave rise to the first all-wheel-drive vehicle. In-wheel motors differ from the ubiquitous inboard motors because they are essentially part of the wheel, eliminating the need for drive shafts or differentials.