EV Flyer for the Public

[michapok]

We're having our Drive Electric event this weekend and sharing a parking lot with a classic car show. I'd like to have a handout/fact-sheet ready that would catch the interest of these kind of guys, so basically one that highlights how EV's are fun to drive and are powered exclusively by American energy. It should also include some basic information like where to charge, what range to expect, etc.

I've been looking around the web/this site and haven't found one I like. Anyone putting something like this together?

 

[LeftieBiker]

I don't know of a flyer here, but you want to emphasize the high torque output of the Leaf. It's 207 foot-pounds for the early Japanese version, and 187 for the American-built (2013 and newer) version. Horsepower is 108, but that isn't impressive. So try something like

"Got Torque? 187 ft-lbs at 0 RPM!" Although with the torque limiting the car uses, it's probably more like 5 RPM.

 

[tuanies]

Just show them this dynograph.

LEAF (1) by tuanies, on Flickr

 

[91040]

These may be useful:

LEAF Primer for Prospective and New Owners




LEAF Resource Sheet

 

[LeftieBiker]

Just to help you manage your expectations, though: our EV club had a slot in a local classic car show recently, and the response was, at best, lukewarm. There was also a fair amount of suppressed hostility (one Harley rider insisted on parking in front of our sign). Hopefully your classic car fans are more liberal than ours in Upstate NY. In any case, don't be pushy, and don't respond to hostility with anything more than a little mild humor.

 

[michapok]

Just to help you manage your expectations, though: our EV club had a slot in a local classic car show recently, and the response was, at best, lukewarm. There was also a fair amount of suppressed hostility (one Harley rider insisted on parking in front of our sign). Hopefully your classic car fans are more liberal than ours in Upstate NY. In any case, don't be pushy, and don't respond to hostility with anything more than a little mild humor.

We're 100 miles south but I'm pretty sure we'll face the same response. However, one of the people showing their classic car tonight is my in-law (and he loved test-driving the LEAF) so hopefully he'll talk to some of his buddies and we'll get a handful to come by our corner. It's sad that this kind of thing occurs - There's lots to love about EVs regardless of political or cultural affiliation.

This is actually the main reason I'm looking for an EV flyer that doesn't include the words 'emissions', 'environment' or anything like that. I feel that these have become trigger words to some people and they'll shut down if they see them. If we start the conversation about performance maybe we can lower the defenses enough to the rational side of the brain =)

 

[Metalman]

I had pretty fair response to mine in a local car show. This was at a town festival and the car show was a small part of it, so there were a lot of "non car guys there" . I had a few people ask about it. I always tell anybody that asks it's main attribute it is just about free to run. Not too many people can find a negative to that.

 

[kikngas]

I always tell anybody that asks it's main attribute it is just about free to run. Not too many people can find a negative to that.

Well, even with that, they don't look enough in to the details. They could see this statement as evidence that the government (they one THEY paid for) is paying for your "toy" (through credits and incentives).

It would be interesting to try a little reverse psychology. Something like "Oh, well I'm sure this car wouldn't work for YOUR situation, but it does for me. How far do you commute to work? ...Do you have more than one car? ...Do you like the idea of NOT spending $100 or more per month on gas? ...Gee! I guess maybe it would work for you after all it's really a neat car and fun to drive".

 

[GetOffYourGas]

Did you come up with a good flyer? How did the downstate crowd react? If you did, and were willing to share, I would love to have a look at it.

Our event in Syracuse was ok. We were set up in front of Syracuse's Museum Of Science and Technology (The MoST), and even had a great place to give test drives / ride alongs. Forget reasoning with gear heads, there is no better way to show off an EV than letting them drive an i3 or ride along in a conversion custom made for racing!

 

[michapok]

I didn't get around to putting together a flyer but I have to say that we got a pretty good response. Only a few of the car guys stopped by but for those that did I basically just pointed them towards the Model S and started telling them about how fast it was and all the cool gadgets it's got. I also gave them the '$3 gets me 80 miles' line as well as telling them how all the money I spend to drive my car comes from right here in America.
Now if only we could get them to take one test drive...

 

[GetOffYourGas]

We were very fortunate to have a Model S, a Roadster, and a converted Dodge Daytona. The Daytona owner is a racer (autocross and drag), and giving ride-alongs for those interested. That car was a blast to ride in, and it gripped the road/accelerated like you wouldn't believe - truly an EV done right. I think that alone will get the car guys' attention.

 

[LeftieBiker]

We were lucky enough to have Zero Motorcycles at our event, with *three* different models! I rode both the FX and the DS (it was the police-optioned model, so I had to stay in the parking lot / access road area with that one) and both bikes mightily impressed me. The FX was so fast I had no desire to test the warning about inadvertent wheelies and take it out of Eco mode. I rode it for several miles, and aside from the suspension height being a bit tall for me, the bike was fantastic to ride on the road, despite its Dirt Bike Racer configuration. The DS was more docile in Eco, but it both felt very substantial and handled very well. A brief burst of Sport mode was enough to reassure me that when I hit the lottery and buy one, I won't be disappointed.

I barely looked at the Tesla Model S there.

 

[Kipp]

There was also a fair amount of suppressed hostility (one Harley rider insisted on parking in front of our sign). Hopefully your classic car fans are more liberal than ours in Upstate NY.

I'm a newer LEAFer, and I've come to notice that under-surface hostility as well. I want to say it's just the regular A-holes you see around traffic, but boy, I hadn't noticed it this extreme when I was still driving my truck a few weeks ago. Holy moly! I didn't bother to ask whether or not they were conservatives or liberals, though. My suspicion is they're just the usual A-holes, but something about EV's just sets them off.

I also had that discussion someone else mentioned above: I was at my neighbor's house after my sons' friday night football game. He asked me how I liked the new LEAF. I couldn't stop listing all the advantages I had never even considered before I bought it. I told him (and company), I couldn't go back to driving an ICEr. One of the visitors there made some snide remark about "our" (as in his and mine) car. "Whatever do you mean with that?", I asked him. Turns out he felt he personally helped pay for my car, since there's a federal tax credit. I asked him, "Is that your new Chevy pickup in front of the house?" He said, "Yeah". "So, how does 'our' pickup drive?" He asked me what I meant. "I believe until just recently, we were all co-owners of GM, right?" Boy was he pissed. Heck, I have a GM (although mine is pre-bailout :lol: ).

I'll give it about 5 years. Wait until the electric cars/motorcycles start getting cheaper, and the performance starts to blow the doors off of those antiquated ICE vehicles, and most people will come around. More range/higher performance will do all the work to turn opinions around.

Normally, all it takes is a test drive, or to ride along for a short haul, and you hear the tone changing, and you realize they're asking those questions because they're actually liking the car for the same reasons we do. The trick is getting them in there for that first ride.

I think what you guys are doing is a wonderful thing: get them to just go for a quick spin, and attitudes start changing really quickly.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

We were lucky enough to have Zero Motorcycles at our event, with *three* different models! I rode both the FX and the DS (it was the police-optioned model, so I had to stay in the parking lot / access road area with that one) and both bikes mightily impressed me. The FX was so fast I had no desire to test the warning about inadvertent wheelies and take it out of Eco mode. I rode it for several miles, and aside from the suspension height being a bit tall for me, the bike was fantastic to ride on the road, despite its Dirt Bike Racer configuration. The DS was more docile in Eco, but it both felt very substantial and handled very well. A brief burst of Sport mode was enough to reassure me that when I hit the lottery and buy one, I won't be disappointed.

I barely looked at the Tesla Model S there.

Wow, lucky indeed. I would love to test out a Zero. I can't imagine myself owning another motorcycle, though. I did that once, and it just got to the point that I couldn't enjoy myself with all the cars on the road. If you've ridden you know what I mean. It's not that I felt entitled to the road. It's just that a large number of drivers are not paying attention and will cut you off, even run you off the road if you're not always on your toes.

 

[LeftieBiker]

I bicycle almost every day on my EZIP, and I definitely know what you mean. Sometimes I wish I was on the motorcycle because it's more substantial. ;-) Seriously, though, the distracted drivers are indeed terrible. I've always - since the Seventies - ridden with the assumption that every driver on the road with me wants to kill me, and is just waiting for the opportunity. That definitely helps. Still, I have no desire to ride in traffic, and avoid it as much as possible.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Oh, and there is a 2012 Zero S with larger pack and beefed-up controller on Ebay. It just failed to sell for $8800, but I think it will be relisted. I'd LOVE to buy it, but even at 60% the price of a new one, it's too rich for my wallet. Damn.