Electric vehicle experience to be aware of.
A couple of years ago my wife and I bought a new well-known and respected brand of hybrid car. We decided on a hybrid because of the advantages offered by electric vehicles coupled with the extended range of a petrol motor. It has been a gem of a car - until last weekend when it refused to start. No warning. No alarm. NOTHING. It just would not start. By absolute chance the local AA rep was across the road on a separate call-out. He was extremely efficient, explained the problem, and was able to start our car so we could get home. He then came to our home and fitted a new battery. It transpires that while the car is in the electric mode, the auxiliary battery is unable to be charged. As in conventional cars there is an alternator connected to the petrol motor, but not in electric. So, just a heads-up for hybrid owners: Be aware - save money, petrol and the planet by going electric, and be prepared for a great deal of inconvenience and annoyance and to pay out between $250 and $600 for a replacement auxiliary battery which could (and did) fail with no warning after about 35000 kilometers. Or just use the petrol mode. Maybe I'll just go and buy a horse.
Poll: Is it ok to regift something that you have been given?
🎁 Holiday Gift Chat!
Do you ever regift?
What’s your take on asking for a receipt if a gift doesn’t fit?
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79.1% Yes! It's better to regift what I don't need
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20.9% No. It's the thought and effort that matters
Driven On The Akatarawa Rd Lately?
If so, its good to know you are still alive and reading this.
We have a function to go to over Christmas up that way and having heard a few hairy stories about the road, I went up there on Thursday to check it out. The road's ok, narrow and winding, but not much worse than a Wellington hill suburb. What was pretty scary was the behavior of other drivers. Three vehicles heading the other way at speed would have crashed into me if I hadn't been pulled off the road. I had pulled in to check the address when a truck came flying past, taking up all of the narrow road at speed. There is no way the driver would have been able to stop had they come around the corner immediately in front of me. The other two drivers came hurtling past as I had turned in to turn around and come back down the hill. They were also driving at speed and taking up most of the road. Coming back down I passed another car coming up and estimate that the safe speed to pass another car was about 30-35 kms.p.h. So, now we're thinking, do we go to the function or not.? Feels a bit like we're taking our life in our hands going up there. Drivers appear to be overconfident, and they are courting serious injury.
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