CELPIP Reading Part 4 Practice Test: Kestrel Winter Recall

Few new vehicles have been promoted in Canada as heavily as the Kestrel, an electric SUV from Ontario-based Lumen Automotive that its maker advertises as "the car Canadian winters have been waiting for." The campaign has continued even after a recall this year, prompted by reports from Prairie owners whose vehicles would not start at minus 30. In each case, the battery heater had switched itself off, leaving the battery too cold to deliver power. Industry observers suspect the heaters themselves, which Lumen purchases from a low-cost overseas supplier to keep the vehicle's price below $45,000.

With a competing American model expected in dealerships within months, Lumen issued a software update quickly, tested it in its own cold-weather facility, and obtained permission from Transport Canada to resume deliveries before an independent review commissioned by the federal government had been completed. The review's authors later called the company's testing insufficient and recommended that cold-weather systems be verified by third parties before approval.

Rhoda Albrecht of the Canadian Alliance for Clean Transportation remains enthusiastic. "Transportation is responsible for a large share of this country's emissions, and every electric vehicle on the road replaces a gasoline engine. The Kestrel is priced within reach of ordinary families. Of course, a vehicle that will not start does nothing for the environment, so the fault must be corrected." Vancouver owner Delphine Cheung is equally satisfied. "The heated seats and acceleration are wonderful, and mine starts every morning. People seem to enjoy complaining about new technology." Temperatures on her commute have rarely fallen below freezing this winter.

Lumen's advertising, meanwhile, has not changed. One commercial shows a Kestrel driving through a blizzard as a narrator promises "500 kilometres on a charge, whatever the weather." Columnist Bernadette Jablonski has ridiculed the ad, advising buyers to "pack a block heater and a thermos." University of Manitoba engineering professor Zeke Ouellette is more concerned about the update. "The software keeps the battery warm overnight by drawing on the car's own charge, which can reduce winter range by close to a hundred kilometres. The heaters have not been replaced, so the underlying fault has been managed rather than repaired."

I drive for a living and have used an electric vehicle for some time, so this story caught my attention. To me, the Kestrel's troubles show what happens when 6. Choose…regulators ignore expert advicea supplier sabotages a producta company puts price before qualitycritics exaggerate small problems, and the recall was the predictable result. Albrecht is right to acknowledge that, and the recall was the predictable result. Albrecht is right to acknowledge that 7. Choose…early problems hardly matterthe Kestrel is overpricedcold weather raises emissionsa stalled car helps no one. The company's slogan about Canadian winters, on the other hand, I find. The company's slogan about Canadian winters, on the other hand, I find 8. Choose…refreshingly modesttechnically accuratefairly harmlesshard to accept, given that the original heaters are still in place. I once spent a night in a motel because my own car refused to charge during a cold snap, so I know how quickly confidence disappears. The government should insist on, given that the original heaters are still in place. I once spent a night in a motel because my own car refused to charge during a cold snap, so I know how quickly confidence disappears. The government should insist on 9. Choose…outside checks of winter systemslonger tests by the manufacturera change of heater suppliera ban on winter advertising before any vehicle like this is approved. Considering the blizzard commercial, the columnist's jokes seem before any vehicle like this is approved. Considering the blizzard commercial, the columnist's jokes seem 10. Choose…mean-spiritedout of dateprematurewell deserved to me. Buyers deserve honest information.