Discussions of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery powered vehicles and technology.
Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2025/06/so-i-got-regenerative-braking-wrong/
HV Battery care tips The Kia Access app was finally made available about a week ago for the Kia Niro, and I completed the connection to the vehicle a few days later. However, a big surprise in the app were some HV battery care tips that include charging to 100% at least once a month! …
Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2025/05/kia-hv-battery-care-tips-include-charging-to-100/
Burnish We ran into something very curious while finishing our Tesla updates. It was a suggestion to burnish the brakes after replacing brake pads and/or brake rotors. They go on to say that this might eliminate high-pitched squealing noise while braking, particularly when driving in rain, cold and/or humid climates. We weren’t familiar with the …
Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2025/04/burnish-the-brakes/
Kia Niro EV If I have a single complaint regarding the Kia Niro EV I now drive, its the obnoxiously loud back-up warning the VESS (Virtual Engine Sound System) system gives off. And I’m not alone. The rules in the U.S. state that “The vehicle must make a continuous noise level of at least 56 …
Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2025/04/my-only-real-complaint-about-the-kia-niro-ev/
Breakdown weak link We’ve done two recent posts related to 12 volt start batteries over the last several months and now comes an item from Germany that puts a finger on the same item being a breakdown weak link that brings together electric vehicles (EVs) and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Reported by InsideEVs, the …
Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2025/04/german-study-finds-a-breakdown-weak-link-between-ice-vehicles-and-evs/
Get Out No, not the movie, our Get Out update relates to a page we put up years ago after a man and his dog died of heat exposure locked in a Chevrolet Corvette. The car was one of the first to use electric locks and latches and while there is a mechanical means of …
Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2025/01/another-get-out-update/
Dead 12-volt start battery In August of 2024, we got a panicked call from a friend whose car, a Tesla Model Y, was giving her real headaches. It turned out to have a dead 12-volt start battery. It needed a jump-start! A number of messages were being displayed in a seemingly random fashion on her …
Permanent link to this article: https://dashboardsymbols.com/2024/09/we-have-a-new-youtube-video-getting-in-a-tesla-that-has-a-dead-12-volt-start-battery/
So I got regenerative braking wrong
Regenerative braking I recall listening to the owner of the last car dealer I worked for explaining regenerative braking in electric and hybrid vehicles beautifully wrong. And I was sure I knew better. Well, his explanation, which included the brakes themselves, is still wrong. But I’ve had it wrong too! I was sure that I’d …
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