Author Archive: Bradley Berman
Photo credit: Imperial LimoLand Imperial Coach Builders of Springfield, Mo. made headlines in June when it created the world’s first all-electric stretch limousine. “We took a regular Nissan LEAF electric,” said Nathan Daily, the company’s head electrician, “And we cut it into two and basically extended the frame and everything to add a center section [...]
by Bradley Berman in News
When you think of hybrid cars, BMW is probably not the first automotive brand that comes to mind. So, you might be surprised to learn that BMW started selling its first hybrid nearly three years ago. The makers of the ultimate driving machine can now point to four different hybrid vehicles, including the X6 SUV, [...]
The Volkswagen Beetle is one of the most iconic car designs of the past 100 years. Created by Ferdinand Porsche in the 1930s for the Third Reich (as “the people’s car”), its simple but high-quality design endured for most of the 21st century—becoming a top-seller around the globe. After a slow decline beginning in the [...]
In the past decade, the gas-electric Toyota Prius has risen in status from science project to mainstream vehicle. In September, the 50-mpg hybrid was the eighth most popular car in the U.S., and the biggest gainer—more than doubling sales from a year ago. But for all the merits of hybrid technology—great fuel economy and low [...]
The Toyota Prius, the quintessential hybrid car, now comes in four distinct flavors. There’s the conventional liftback; the wagon-like Prius V; the compact Prius C; and since March, a plug-in version. It’s currently offered in only 15 states, but it goes national next year. Toyota wants to sell 15,000 a year. A few weeks ago, [...]
Now that summer is, unfortunately, in the rear-view-mirror, perhaps you’ve noticed the days getting shorter and the nights cooler. As temperatures continue to drop, you might also see a slight decline in your car’s MPG. That’s completely normal, and should be expected. In fact, by the heart of winter, the drop in fuel efficiency could [...]
Study: Used Hybrids and Electric Cars Retain Value The economics of buying a fuel-efficient car can be misleading. Critics of hybrids and electric cars often say, “They’re not worth it.” That’s because their calculations about payback period—how long it takes to recoup a higher upfront cost—often exclusively look at fuel savings, based on higher MPG. [...]
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