When hybrid cars first appeared on the automotive scene, early in the current century, their arrival wasn’t always greeted warmly. Environmentally-minded drivers praised their promise of greater fuel economy and reduced tailpipe emissions. Some critics considered the hybrid powertrain a gimmick rather than a true step forward, predicting that they wouldn’t last long. True believers in gasoline engines – especially those who favored muscular V8s – adopted attitudes ranging from skepticism to annoyance, if not anger.