mm2001
Member
I finally got a leaf. I was on the original wait list but the timing didn't work out. But Thursday we took delivery of a Slate SL with the Premium package (sound + cameras). My goal is for this car to replace my wife's Subaru Forester for her ~200 miles/week driving around town. Let's call my wife Jane.
Unfortunately, Jane's first impressions weren't good.... The short version is:
Now, just to be clear, Jane is being a really good sport about this! I viewing this more as an anthropological experiment and a view to how general ICE car drivers will react if/when they make the switch. Some observations:
Hope this is amusing / interesting to some!
Unfortunately, Jane's first impressions weren't good.... The short version is:
- "What do you mean I shouldn't turn on the AC (though its 59 degrees outside the car). I always run the car with AC. I like it."
- Range anxiety on steroids: We left with 65 miles range for a 15 mile trip (via freeway). By the time we got there, the range showed 27.
- Bose stereo didn't have the clarity or oomph she was expecting
- Gave up waiting for me to work out how to have Blink charge the car at a free station (don't have a card yet)
Now, just to be clear, Jane is being a really good sport about this! I viewing this more as an anthropological experiment and a view to how general ICE car drivers will react if/when they make the switch. Some observations:
- The range estimate in the Leaf is going to take some getting used to, especially by Jane. After we left the freeway, the range actually went UP for the next 3-5 miles of driving. (From 27 to 29!) I'm guessing this is all about high speed freeway driving vs low speed stop start suburbs driving, but it left Jane thinking "I have no idea when this is going to run out and I'm very uncomfortable!" (I read elsewhere that people call this the "guessometer" and I now see why!) I can see the one Blink station not too far from us getting a lot of use until Jane gets comfortable with the range.
- We're lucky to have charging stations around us (Bay area, CA). But it sure would be helpful for Blink + Chargepoint if they provided every Nissan dealer with a card and signup sheet so owners could have a card at the time of delivery. I figure it will be another week before a blink + chargepoint card arrive in the mail, and for reasons I don't quite comprehend, the apps for blink and chargepoint which (apparently) will avoid me needing the card, first require a card to complete registration(!). I stood at a Chargepoint station earlier in the day on the phone for 5 mins to get a "free" station unlocked and only managed to get Blink to work because I had a phone with a web browser so I could provide my credit card and get some magic code. I have to say that providing my credit card over and over again for free charges is annoying. (Don't get me wrong, I don't begrudge the service and I happily jumped through the hoops, but there is no way Jane would have bothered!).
Hope this is amusing / interesting to some!