BERKELEY, CA — Berkeley city council members recently voted to authorize the purchase of new hybrid cars to update the city’s sedan fleet, according to the Daily Californian newspaper. The city manager will purchase six Toyota Prius hybrids to replace older vehicles in the city fleet. The cars are used for several purposes, including transporting officials to meetings, work sites, and other city-related events. The six new hybrids would provide replacement vehicles for the public works and police departments and the housing authority. Currently, city employees use hybrid cars recently bought for the nonprofit City CarShare, a regional program which also allows individuals to share cars during nights and weekends, according to the Daily Californian newspaper. The funding for the six new hybrid cars, estimated to cost $22,975 each, will come from the city’s Equipment Replacement Fund. Each department that uses the city fleet contributes to the fund, and the money is used to replace vehicles after they are no longer functional.