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.

A Niro re-charge at 45° F recovered only a small amount of range

Niro range

Niro re-charge After an ice cold trip in the Northeast over New Years, we noted that we would do a Niro re-charge at about 45° F. We did, but did not see the recovery we hoped for. A year after not seeing the electric vehicle’s (EV’s) range drop below 235 miles, the holiday trip at …

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Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2026/01/a-niro-re-charge-at-45-degrees-recovered-only-a-small-amount-of-range/

Road hazard insurance on new tires — buy or no buy?

Tire replacement bill

Road hazard insurance Three weeks ago, I replaced the tires on the Kia Niro. An add-on to consider was road hazard insurance. I chose to buy ($24.99 per tire or $99.96), and I’m glad I did. Here’s the breakdown. Two days ago I got a little careless in a parking lot and clipped a curb …

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Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2026/01/road-hazard-insurance-on-new-tires-buy-or-no-buy/

Rivian symbols page gains 14 entries

Rivian symbols A review of 2025 models resulted in the addition of 14 new indicators and warning lights to our Rivian symbols page. Ten of the 14 entries are new to our database, and we’re still scratching our heads over some of them. As a for instance, the company is the first to offer up …

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Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2026/01/rivian-symbols-page-gains-14-entries/

Well, we got it wrong — the U.S. EV market in serious trouble

U.S. EV market in serious trouble Back in September when the $7,500 federal tax credit on electric vehicles (EVs) ran out we commented that it may be a blessing in disguise: EV manufacturers would likely lower prices to hold on to market share. Well, we got it wrong and the U.S. EV market in serious …

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Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2026/01/well-we-got-it-wrong-the-u-s-ev-market-in-serious-trouble/

Tesla customers create a rear door back-up exit fix

Model Y m back-up back-up

Rear door back-up exit fix Tesla‘s own customers, concerned about the safety of their back seat passengers in the event of a power loss, have created their own rear door back-up exit fix. My sister-in-law sent the two pictures that follow, which is a clever variation on solutions found on various Tesla forums for her …

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Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2026/01/tesla-customers-create-a-rear-door-back-up-exit-fix/

Charging hot and cold — a tale of two Niros

Niro range start

Tale of two Niros A New Year’s day travel itinerary took the Kia Niro to temperatures as low as 12°F. The results were far worse than expected and results in this tale of two Niros. This is our second winter with the Niro electric vehicle (EV) and last year’s experience was generally quite positive, with …

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Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2026/01/charging-hot-and-cold-a-tale-of-two-niros/

New charge player drops the signage ball

Autel charge station

The signage ball We made a 600 mile trip over the New Year holiday offering up a first Level 3 charging opportunity for the Niro, which we’ll discuss separately. But we found a new charging company who dropped the signage ball. The new company, Autel, set up a single charge station — already a problem …

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Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2026/01/new-charge-player-drops-the-signage-ball/