Category: Articles & Commentaries

Discussions on topics of interest to drivers concerning things they may not understand about their vehicles as well as articles on the future of the auto industry.

BYD follows Volvo in making a bold assertion on autonomous driving

byd logo

Autonomous driving According to InsideEVs, Chinese auto maker BYD has made a big time promise related to autonomous driving. Or at least its when cars is self parking. If a car damages another while using its intelligent parking feature, BYD will pay for the damages. InsideEVs adds “That’s pretty much the biggest corporate flex that …

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Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2025/07/byd-follows-volvo-in-making-a-bold-assertion-on-autonomous-driving/

What happens when the Niro is charged to 100%

Niro range

Charged to 100% A bit ago, I noted that Kia recommends charging the Kia  Niro EV to 100% once a month. So, I charged to 100% two days ago with astounding results. For the record, I don’t put many miles on the car and will likely only charge to 100% every other month. First note …

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Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2025/07/what-happens-when-the-niro-is-charged-to-100/

New video posted on Kia EV jump starting

EV jump starting Today we posted a new video on our YouTube channel describing Kia EV jump starting. With it, we made a new playlist, calling the video the first of what we hope will be a series of videos on the topic. In truth, its the second, but we didn’t realize the first one …

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Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2025/07/new-video-posted-on-kia-ev-jump-starting/

Dodge adds to growing list of troublesome electronic latches

Electronic latches In 2024, the Dodge Charger went electric and electronic. The company’s first electric vehicle (EV) also follows the troublesome and rather pointless trend of using electronic latches in the doors. We say pointless because of course, the company had to create a mechanical back-up in case of a failure of the 12-volt battery, …

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Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2025/06/dodge-adds-to-growing-list-of-troublesome-electronic-latches/

A final hodgepodge of regen braking questions

Regen braking Our search for common regen braking questions turned up several that require only the following short answers. — Does regenerative braking wear out tires faster? Regenerative braking has no impact on vehicle’s tires. Aggressive driving and hard braking with the friction brakes can cause damage to tires. — Should I use regenerative braking …

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Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2025/06/a-final-hodgepodge-of-regen-braking-questions/

The Niro is a summertime EV efficiency champ

ECO driving

EV efficiency EV efficiency, measured in miles per kWh (m/kWh), comes up short in the vast majority of electric vehicles. Most will see between three and four m/kWh, covered in some detail here. And the larger the electric vehicle, the lower the efficiency. The Kia Niro I am now driving, however, is a summertime efficiency …

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Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2025/06/the-niro-is-a-summertime-ev-efficiency-champ/

Misunderstanding regenerative “brakes”

Regenerative braking

Regenerative “brakes” In researching common questions about regenerative “brakes”, it became clear that there are serious misconceptions about the topic, all of which surround the use of the word brakes or braking. Here are some all too common questions: How much longer do regenerative brakes last? Can regenerative brakes overheat? Does regenerative braking wear out …

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Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2025/06/misunderstanding-regenerative-brakes/