The Henney Motor Company was started in 1927 in Illinois. It modified Packards and Lincolns into a wide range of vehicles, from ambulances to taxis. Henney became part of a conglomerate run by the National Union Electric Company, which also happened to produce Exide batteries. The company was noted for the Henney Kilowatt which was born between 1959 and 1960, with parts purchased from Renault and the motor design from Eureka vacuum manufacturer and Victor Wouk, the pioneer for hybrid cars. These cars ran on a 36-volt system with 18 batteries. The top speed was 40mph, and the range was about 40 miles. A second model was capable of 60mph and had an equal range. Only 100 cars were built, and just 47 were sold.