Warning symbols in the car that indicate something is wrong may change over time, especially as the technology on board changes. The rise of hybrid and electric cars can be confusing.
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Electric mobility is on the rise and this requires new warning lights on the dashboard. For example, the above symbol of a yellow car with a large exclamation point means there is a problem with the battery, cables or electric drive. When the symbol lights up red, there is an imminent danger.
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The symbols of hybrid and electric cars are rarely recognized
If this symbol does not seem familiar to you, you are not alone. British insurer Confused commissioned a representative survey of 2,200 participants in 27 EU countries. German Auto Motor and Sport accessed the data and concluded that there is still a lot to be gained, particularly with the warning signs of hybrid and all-electric cars.
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The symbols of cars with a traditional combustion engine were recognized much better. Yet more than a third recognized it ‘ABS’ warning symbol no, it means problems with the ABS braking system. ABS prevents the wheels from locking while driving. Even the tire pressure warning symbol was poorly recognized with 32% wrong answers, followed by the warning symbol for traction control with 31% wrong answers.
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Confused asked all participants multiple choice questions, in which respondents could choose from four options.
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These symbols were the least commonly recognized:
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1. The exclamation mark symbol indicating a malfunction in an electric car was not recognized by 80% of the participants in the European Union.
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2. As many as 77 percent of the respondents did not know that this symbol means that the automatic ‘navigation function’ has been activated to save energy.
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3. When this symbol lights up, an electric car is ready to drive. 68% of EU residents were unaware of it.
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4. The car (a hybrid vehicle) is driving in purely electric mode. 60 percent did not know what it meant.
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5. Limited power, driving at a tortoise pace: 59 percent didn’t know.
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6. External Speaker Activated: When an electric car is driving slowly, it usually makes sounds to alert pedestrians. So this symbol lights up: 58 percent interpreted the symbol differently.
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7. Attention, pedestrians on the road! Almost half (53%) of the respondents did not understand its meaning.
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8. There is a general error that needs to be checked. Only 52 percent knew the meaning.
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