As the hybrid market develops, independent voices emerge to share information, critique products and create community. People who seek information on hybrid cars often find their way to Brad Berman's site, HybridCars.com. It's a venture that started with a casual visit to a car dealer, and has blossomed into one of the leading web destinations on hybrid cars.

Brad backs HybridCars.com with continuous research on the subject. The site helps prospective buyers with hybrid FAQs, a "price pulse" feature, news and stories, plus forums and blogs that voice reader opinions. It also offers Brad's 100-page e-book, An Insider's Look at Hybrid Cars: How They Work and Why They Matter, and a free monthly newsletter. Brad has been interviewed by and quoted in CBS Evening News, New York Times, Associated Press Newswires, The Joe Scarborough Show, and he writes about hybrids for the New York Times and other publications.

Hybrid Synergy View interviewed Brad at his New Jersey office in June 2005.

HSV: How can people best make use of your site?
BB: Our readers like the mix of research and reporting alongside lots of community features like the forums and blogs. I have the information that readers want most right up front on the home page.

More and more, people are using the web to research before they buy, and one of our most popular features is a table of readers' ratings of their dealer experiences, including wait time and price. I know that a lot of people use HybridCars.com to research purchases from the number of clicks we get on "the free price quote" links for all the hybrid vehicles on the market.

HSV: What is unique about HybridCars.com?
BB: We don't preach or talk down to people. We try to create an environment for people to educate themselves on what's going on out there without having to do all the legwork. Tools like the "Gas Mileage Impact Calculator" make it very quick and easy for people to compare hybrids to non-hybrids. The blogs and forums are really important, too.

HSV: What are the blogs like?
BB: Blogs are web logs, journals where writers express their points of view. Bloggers develop their own followings, and readers keep coming back for the latest of what's on the bloggers' minds. I recruited our bloggers from our own forums. We have Walter McManus, who is an industry observer; Maria McLean, the "Soccer Mom sans SUV" on life with a hybrid; David J. Miller, who writes an edgy blog on the sociopolitical dimension of the hybrid scene; and several others.

HSV: How about the forums?
BB: We have every topic about hybrids that you can imagine. Our readers are passionate and opinionated…no lack of information here. Discussions can go on for days with 40 posts or more. Some of our recent topics include an ongoing comparison of hybrids and diesels, how to get better gas mileage, and meditations on personal passions like Prius not having a cigarette lighter.

HSV: What have you learned about hybrid owners?
BB: Hybrid owners are thoughtful people. They think about the consequences of their driving, from the environmental point of view, energy security, society and the economy. You can't lump hybrid owners into one group. The environment is a priority for most, but occasionally a reader wants to make it known that he is a hybrid owner only to reduce dependence on foreign oil, period, end of story.

HSV: We hear that you have a Highlander Hybrid on order.
BB: Yes, after driving a Honda hybrid for a while, I wanted to get a Toyota hybrid, and the SUV was the right pick for me. I ordered a Highlander Hybrid in the two-wheel drive model, Bluestone Metallic, with the Limited option package. I put my deposit down in February. I'm number four on the waiting list, and the dealer says I should get it in about six weeks...

HSV: Wish we could help you there, Brad. Thanks for the interview.