LEAF advisory group

[Hawk0630]

This is Jeff from Nissan.

Recently, I noted that I was at TBWA for an full Nissan advertising creative review, and it was during that session that I got a peak at some of the ideas bubbling up for the LEAF. I sent a note to Peter Bracegirdle, who is the managing director for the Nissan account at our agency TBWA \ CHIAT \ DAY, and I invited him to talk a little about the some of what's going on behind the scenes with LEAF. Also, I hope you see the press release that Nissan North America just issued talking about the U.S. Battery Plant.

Hope you enjoy.

Jeff
____________

Advertising the 100% electric Nissan LEAF is different. In many ways the LEAF is just like a traditional car of course; it looks like a normal car, it is fun to drive, holds 5 passengers in comfort and does everything you might expect a normal car to do and does it well. But it is not a normal car. It was borne from a passionate belief in the promise and importance of electric vehicles to the future of motoring and the health of the planet. We see the Nissan LEAF as the start of a movement. In developing advertising plans for the LEAF we see our job as helping to mobilize that movement.

Like all strong movements it starts with the advocates; our owners. LEAF owners are passionate and committed. They love their LEAFs. So we are going to continue to build on our support for the owner community online and through more events like the National Plug-in Day. More than with any other car, LEAF owners are incredibly enthusiastic about telling other people why owning a no gas car makes so much sense so we are going to do more and more to help owners tell their stories and grow the movement.

The owners help us shape our plans as well. You told us you wanted to see more chargers appearing more quickly so we have accelerated our plans to introduce more chargers near your home, at the workplace and beyond. More chargers help improve the ownership experience, of course, but they also reduce range anxiety for those considering buying a Nissan LEAF.

Almost everybody’s daily commute is comfortably within the LEAF range but people tend to over estimate how far they travel each day. So we will be promoting a simple calculator that not only helps them realize a LEAF has all the range they need but also how much they would save a year. The calculator factors in what car they currently drive, local gas prices, their daily commute distance and the incentives that LEAF owners are offered where they live. For most people this saving is thousands of dollars a year.

The Nissan LEAF is revolutionary but it is not a car of the future. It is a car for now. It just doesn’t use gas. But for some people it feels like a big step to move to EV. To help these folks realize how great a ‘real’ car it is our advertising will celebrate that the Nissan LEAF is a very practical 5-seater hatch, with great technology, that is incredibly fun to drive with ownership costs that offer fantastic value.

And finally, in the US we are looking forward to a very big 2013 for the LEAF. The first locally made LEAFs go on sale in the New Year not only helping to support US manufacturing but also helping us to bring the price down and allow more people to join the movement. Another great chapter in an already great story.

Peter Bracegirdle

 

[mwalsh]

Is the TBWA\CHIAT\DAY DC Quick Charger available to the public yet?

 

[downeykp]

What about us poor fools with 2011 Leafs and the archaic heating system. It really makes this a 3 season car. Not very mainstream.

 

[DaveEV]

Thanks for the update, Jeff!

Also, I hope you see the press release that Nissan North America just issued talking about the U.S. Battery Plant.

Links to recent relevant PR:

Nissan Celebrates Two Years of LEAF Sales with Announcement of U.S. Battery Plant - Largest lithium-ion automotive battery plant in the U.S. now assembling batteries in Tennessee to power all-electric, zero-emission 2013 Nissan LEAF

With two years of Nissan LEAF sales just completed, the company today announced the launch of the United States’ largest lithium-ion automotive battery plant in Smyrna, Tenn. The facility – which is making battery components for the ramp-up of production of the all-electric, zero-emission 2013 Nissan LEAF early next year – is one of three of its kind in the world operated by a major automaker.

Since December 2010, Nissan has delivered more than 18,000 LEAFs to U.S. customers and more than 46,000 worldwide, making it the most successful 100-percent electric vehicle in history.

Nissan Reports on Eco-Targets, Unveils Hybrid Plans

Nissan gave an update on a slew of eco-targets Wednesday, highlighting cuts in CO2 emissions and a plan to add 15 hybrid models by 2016.

Building a Greener LEAF

Nissan’s zero-emission LEAF electric vehicle just became even greener.

The latest version of the industry leader, introduced in Japan in November, has a new electric motor using 40% less of the rare-earth mineral dysprosium – without affecting performance.

“The driver will not notice any differences. Vehicle performance will remain unchanged,” said Kiyoshi Takagi, deputy general manager in Nissan’s Materials Technology Planning Group.

“In fact, the overall performance increased, so drivers don’t need to worry.”

 

[RegGuheert]

Almost everybody’s daily commute is comfortably within the LEAF range but people tend to over estimate how far they travel each day. So we will be promoting a simple calculator that not only helps them realize a LEAF has all the range they need but also how much they would save a year. The calculator factors in what car they currently drive, local gas prices, their daily commute distance and the incentives that LEAF owners are offered where they live. For most people this saving is thousands of dollars a year.

This calculator needs to also factor in degradation in battery capacity over the years due to hot climates and the impact of the heater to range in cold climates. The old calculator apparently told some people in Phoenix that the LEAF was a good fit for their 70-mile commute. Unfortunately, the LEAF isn't suitable for a 70-mile commute in Phoenix even for the duration of a standard lease.

 

[thankyouOB]

seems like Nissan and Chiat/Day are on the cusp of an idea here, and one that already works; LEAF meets Facebook, as owners gladly tout their experiences to the world.

We see the Nissan LEAF as the start of a movement. In developing advertising plans for the LEAF we see our job as helping to mobilize that movement.

Like all strong movements it starts with the advocates; our owners. LEAF owners are passionate and committed. They love their LEAFs. So we are going to continue to build on our support for the owner community online and through more events like the National Plug-in Day. More than with any other car, LEAF owners are incredibly enthusiastic about telling other people why owning a no gas car makes so much sense so we are going to do more and more to help owners tell their stories and grow the movement.

And more chargers. now, there is a novel idea.

 

[Herm]

This constant concern that, 'do I need a full charge tomorrow' is sometimes gets a bit cumbersome and annoying.

Nissan made a mistake allowing the owner to charge to 100%.. they should have restricted it 80% like GM does with the Volt.. perhaps allow you an override to 100% if requested with plenty of warnings and legalese.. Nissan believed they were being nice by giving the owners options but all they did is create anxiety.

 

[cwerdna]

This constant concern that, 'do I need a full charge tomorrow' is sometimes gets a bit cumbersome and annoying.

Nissan made a mistake allowing the owner to charge to 100%.. they should have restricted it 80% like GM does with the Volt.. perhaps allow you an override to 100% if requested with plenty of warnings and legalese.. Nissan believed they were being nice by giving the owners options but all they did is create anxiety.

Well, FWIW, the 100% charge isn't quite 100%. There's a little at the top that's inaccessible, per Mark Perry (heard it straight from his mouth). I think others have also echoed this.

 

[TonyWilliams]

This constant concern that, 'do I need a full charge tomorrow' is sometimes gets a bit cumbersome and annoying.

Nissan made a mistake allowing the owner to charge to 100%.. they should have restricted it 80% like GM does with the Volt.. perhaps allow you an override to 100% if requested with plenty of warnings and legalese.. Nissan believed they were being nice by giving the owners options but all they did is create anxiety.

Toyota did something in between with Rav4; it defaults to 80%, with no way to override from the Internet or phone app.

The only way is to power the car up, then off so that a screen pops up to allow you to override to 100% (with a dire warning of bad things to come).

Then, there is no indication whatsoever that you have 100% charge. The fuel gauge reads the same "Full" 16 bar segments with both.

 

[Ingineer]

Well, FWIW, the 100% charge isn't quite 100%. There's a little at the top that's inaccessible, per Mark Perry (heard it straight from his mouth). I think others have also echoed this.

It's about 94-95%, while 80% is actually 80%.

-Phil

 

[Volusiano]

Nissan made a mistake allowing the owner to charge to 100%.. they should have restricted it 80% like GM does with the Volt.. perhaps allow you an override to 100% if requested with plenty of warnings and legalese.. Nissan believed they were being nice by giving the owners options but all they did is create anxiety.

Ohhhh, I don't agree that Nissan "made a mistake" or they were "being nice". I think they benefited a lot from allowing 100% charging, because this allows them to claim 100 miles range on the car in their marketing. Did you ever see them tell anyone before the point of sale that "Oh, actually the range is really usually 80 miles top most of the times because most of the times people should charge to 80% only and not 100%?" Nope, never. All I remember hearing was "you can get as high as 100 miles, sometimes even more!"

I remember feeling really duped after I bought the car and read the manual that usually, you should charge to 80% only most of the times. I remember wondering why Nissan never pointed this out when I went to their demo event or read their marketing literature.

Personally, I don't care if they limit to 80% and advertise the car as an 80 mile range car. Or allow 100% charge and advertise the car as a 100 mile range, which is fine, too, as long as you disclose to people up front that most of the times, they should only charge to 80% and get only 80 miles.

Don't want to disclose that fact up front? That's fine, too. I guess "buyers beware".

But for sure they don't deserve credit for "being nice" because they "made a mistake" of allowing 100% charge. They did it for a reason and fully benefited from it, without choosing to be honest about the 80% limitation up front.

 

[cwerdna]

Nissan made a mistake allowing the owner to charge to 100%.. they should have restricted it 80% like GM does with the Volt.. perhaps allow you an override to 100% if requested with plenty of warnings and legalese.. Nissan believed they were being nice by giving the owners options but all they did is create anxiety.

Ohhhh, I don't agree that Nissan "made a mistake" or they were "being nice". I think they benefited a lot from allowing 100% charging, because this allows them to claim 100 miles range on the car in their marketing. Did you ever see them tell anyone before the point of sale that "Oh, actually the range is really usually 80 miles top most of the times because most of the times people should charge to 80% only and not 100%?" Nope, never. All I remember hearing was "you can get as high as 100 miles, sometimes even more!"

I remember feeling really duped after I bought the car and read the manual that usually, you should charge to 80% only most of the times. I remember wondering why Nissan never pointed this out when I went to their demo event or read their marketing literature.

Personally, I don't care if they limit to 80% and advertise the car as an 80 mile range car. Or allow 100% charge and advertise the car as a 100 mile range, which is fine, as long as you disclose to people up front that most of the times, they should only charge to 80% and get only 80 miles.

I think it's bad enough that they're still claiming it's a "100 mile" range car. Doing that really sets people up for disappointment esp. if they do mostly highway driving...

I agree, the default being "100%" (ok.. 94 or 95%) lets them advertise longer range. I don't think a car w/a 58.4 mile EPA rated range would sound too good...

 

[thankyouOB]

Well, FWIW, the 100% charge isn't quite 100%. There's a little at the top that's inaccessible, per Mark Perry (heard it straight from his mouth). I think others have also echoed this.

It's about 94-95%, while 80% is actually 80%.

-Phil

i thought 80% comes out at 83%
10/12 = .833

 

[Ingineer]

Well, FWIW, the 100% charge isn't quite 100%. There's a little at the top that's inaccessible, per Mark Perry (heard it straight from his mouth). I think others have also echoed this.

It's about 94-95%, while 80% is actually 80%.

-Phil

i thought 80% comes out at 83%
10/12 = .833

The actual SoC is calculated by the LBC to hundredths of a percent. If you are simply counting bars, you've got a wide range of actual percent per bar. Going by the bars alone, you'd be able to have 76% and 84% (~8% span) on the same 10 bars. This is why the bars are simply too coarse for anything really accurate.

-Phil

 

[JPWhite]

Nissan made a mistake allowing the owner to charge to 100%.. they should have restricted it 80% like GM does with the Volt.. perhaps allow you an override to 100% if requested with plenty of warnings and legalese.. Nissan believed they were being nice by giving the owners options but all they did is create anxiety.

Ohhhh, I don't agree that Nissan "made a mistake" or they were "being nice". I think they benefited a lot from allowing 100% charging, because this allows them to claim 100 miles range on the car in their marketing. Did you ever see them tell anyone before the point of sale that "Oh, actually the range is really usually 80 miles top most of the times because most of the times people should charge to 80% only and not 100%?" Nope, never. All I remember hearing was "you can get as high as 100 miles, sometimes even more!"

I remember feeling really duped after I bought the car and read the manual that usually, you should charge to 80% only most of the times. I remember wondering why Nissan never pointed this out when I went to their demo event or read their marketing literature.

Personally, I don't care if they limit to 80% and advertise the car as an 80 mile range car. Or allow 100% charge and advertise the car as a 100 mile range, which is fine, too, as long as you disclose to people up front that most of the times, they should only charge to 80% and get only 80 miles.

Don't want to disclose that fact up front? That's fine, too. I guess "buyers beware".

But for sure they don't deserve credit for "being nice" because they "made a mistake" of allowing 100% charge. They did it for a reason and fully benefited from it, without choosing to be honest about the 80% limitation up front.

+1

 

[Lizardlady]

I am very interested in what Nissan executives and the corporation has to say about the battery degradation issues and the plan to deal with them. I do not want to bash NIssan, the fact is I love my car, but I also live in perpetual fear of my range or lack there of. I have owned my car 13 months and have lost 3 bars on my battery. I know I can travel 45 miles safely and I feel really let down as I was sold a car that was 100 miles of capacity. The story just keeps changing as the service guys blame the salesmen for over selling me and the sales guys say well thats what NIssan told us. I will attend the open house in Phoenix Tuesday but was told by the Valley Ho Hotel it was starting at 9? No one at the Scottsdale Nissan dealership had any knowledge of this meeting just down the street nor could they tell me an exact time. Now I wonder why your own local people don't know anything about this meeting???

I am wondering if I don't show up at 9 so the Nissan executives can take a look & listen to a local customer having problems.

 

[TonyWilliams]

I am wondering if I don't show up at 9 so the Nissan executives can take a look & listen to a local customer having problems.

We will be happy to see you at 4:30pm for viewing the new 2013 LEAF, and at 6pm for the general meeting at Valley Ho.

 

[cwerdna]

I know I can travel 45 miles safely and I feel really let down as I was sold a car that was 100 miles of capacity. The story just keeps changing as the service guys blame the salesmen for over selling me and the sales guys say well thats what NIssan told us. I will attend the open house in Phoenix Tuesday but was told by the Valley Ho Hotel it was starting at 9? No one at the Scottsdale Nissan dealership had any knowledge of this meeting just down the street nor could they tell me an exact time. Now I wonder why your own local people don't know anything about this meeting???

I am wondering if I don't show up at 9 so the Nissan executives can take a look & listen to a local customer having problems.

I would monitor the thread at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=11057" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (and possibly the post at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=255674#p255674" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false for any last minute changes. I wouldn't depend on what the hotel says. I'd imagine the hotel might only know about the meeting room hours and that's it.

As for "100 miles", as of December 2012, Nissan's reps at auto shows were STILL claiming "100 miles" "average". :roll: Tony and I posted about it at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=254231#p254231" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. That needs to stop as it will just set people up for disappointment. I think quoting the EPA range w/some caveats is a safer #.

As for the dealer(s) not knowing, that would seem to be a Nissan corporate to dealership communication problem. I'm the one who PMed Lizardlady on 1/3/13, as she was unaware of the meeting until my PM. It would be nice if Nissan had also reached out to other Phoenician Leaf drivers who aren't active on MNL but have lost 1+ capacity bar.

 

[RegGuheert]

Japan Airlines just started Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" service from SAN to Tokyo/Narita. I'm ready to go to Yokohama.

*jealous* Reg wants to ride in a Dreamliner but they aren't flying into Washington right now. Take some pictures for us!

Nevermind. You go first and tell me how it was!

Officials: Smoke filled the cabin of Dreamliner in Logan fire — minutes after passengers had disembarked

 

[palmermd]

Something is not right here....

After passengers left the plane through the jetbridge, at about 10:30 a.m., airline mechanics reported smoke. Massport firefighters were there within three minutes, he said.
...
The fire was extinguished within an hour, officials said. Donahue said firefighters used the halotron fire extinguishing agent. No injuries were reported.

An hour to put out the fire?