All posts by Nicholas Gerbis

Are green machines worth the cabbage?

The world’s first mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid car launched in December 1997 against a backdrop of growing concern over human-induced climate change and a clamor for greener technologies. Debate over the economic impact of the vehicles continues to this day, fueled by shifting sticker prices, ephemeral economic incentives and spiking fuel costs. Ultimately, detecting the economic impact of hybrids is about as easy as hearing an electric motor idling at a stop sign, but I took a crack at it anyway.

What is the economic impact of hybrid cars?

Top 10 reasons to buy a hybrid

What was once a tenuous toe-dip into green waters for car companies looks more and more like a sea change. Manufacturers today are increasingly utilizing dual-mode drivetrains both to improve fuel economy and to make better performing cars, even as they avail themselves of the hybrid cachet to hawk them. Today, there’s a hybrid for nearly every palate and purpose.

Top 10 reasons to get a hybrid car

What exactly do they do during an autopsy?

Popular television crime dramas, with their super-sleuth forensics teams and equipment so cutting-edge it borders on science fiction, have left us with an odd picture of what forensic pathologists do. In the name of plot convenience and ratings, show runners have given us worlds in which good-looking medical examiners obtain results almost instantly, deriving volumes of detailed information from minuscule, improbably preserved clues.

The phenomenon has become so pronounced that some decry a trend of unrealistic evidentiary expectations among jurors, dubbing it the “CSI Effect.” It’s time to set the record straight and find out…

What exactly do they do during an autopsy?

Make it stop: Testing your braking distance

When we look at buying a car, we usually check out the gas mileage, the odometer, the standard equipment and, of course, the price. We rarely spare a thought for braking systems, because we presume (correctly, as it turns out) that the law requires manufacturers to engineer vehicles to stop within a certain safe distance.

There’s more to driving safety than counting car lengths or timing a 2 – 3 second following distance. Brakes have feel and balance. They work differently in warm, cold, wet or dry conditions. They fade over time. Nothing can substitute for knowing the distinctive braking characteristics of your vehicle. Do you know yours?

How to test vehicle stopping time

Brakes: How to check yourself before your wreck yourself

Giving your own brakes the once-over may seem daunting, but if you have eyes, hands and feet, you already possess the tools you need to catch some major problems before they spin out of control. In this article, I’ll show you how to use your body’s onboard equipment to inspect your fluid, pads and indicators, and take you on a quick tour of other tools you’ll need to check your fluid, bleed your brakes and test your proportioning valves.

What are the tools needed for brake tests?