Ford Tests Hybrid Pickup

I remember reading about a hybrid system using hydraulic pressure during the 1980's.It was done using a full size LTD,a spherical storage tank, and a hydraulic pump/motor instead of a transmission.The engine only ran when pressure dropped below a certain point, and was restarted by reserve pressure in the tank.Braking simply reversed a shuttle valve,turning the motor into a pump, and put pressure back into the tank.Frictional braking was only used in emergencies.The total cost of the conversion was less than the cost of an automatic transmission in OEM quantities.The modification was done with off the shelf components available at the time.The highway miles were basically the same, but the city mileage increase was substantial.Is this really progress?I know the computers are much faster now, and pump technology has probably improved somewhat, and engine efficiency has improved, but why has this technology been dormant for so long?

People went crazy for electric hybrids and battery technologies (expensive failure)... Hydraulic hybrids show massive promise for stop and go vehicles such as garbage trucks, mail trucks, taxi's, school busses etc. The government put the subsidies in the wrong place in my mind.