Electric Loss

Q: We have an electric vehicle and we learned that driving in cold weather limited our range much more than we had been led to believe. Has any independent group done any research on, truthfully, how far we can expect to go in cold or very hot weather? A: AAA researched just that question. Here’s what the organization found: in ideal temperature (75 degrees) a car’s range is 105 miles. At 95 degrees that sank to 69 miles and when it was cold, as you discovered, it falls even more dramatically - at 20 degrees expect that car to be able to go 43 miles. Q: We were part of the Takata airbag recall and weeks ago got our car fixed. Now we’ve bumped into the man who sold us our car four years ago and he said it’s likely we’ll have to fix it again. True? A: Possibly. Some of the replacement inflators that were used in the early days of the recall have now been declared defective by Takata. So there’s a strong possibility that many of the car owners who already went through the process once must do so again. You’ll get another notice if so. Still, these replacement inflators are said to be less risky than the original ones, so it wasn’t a complete waste of your time. There will be some delay for the new one. It could be more than two years before they’ve manufactured enough to cover all the recalls. Q: My mother, who is 72, says the shoulder belt in her new car hurts her neck and she’s threatening not to use her seat belt. I know you always advise making sure the car “fits” but she already owns this car. Can anything be done? A: Ask her to try these things: raise the seat a little, and/or shift her seated position toward the center console. Also, there’s a feature on just about every car that almost no one knows about or pays attention to: a slide-able device where the seat best attaches to the car. You can reposition that and it often solves the problem. As a last resort, buy a sheepskin wrap for that part of the belt. What’s your question? Sharon Peters would like to hear about what’s on your mind when it comes to caring for, driving and repairing your vehicle. Email Sharon@ctwfeatures.com.