cgaydos
Well-known member
I just received an email from Nissan asking me to participate in a Carwings Survey. Pretty robust series of questions - they are aware of all the LEAF apps out there.
But my big concern was the statement that they will be asking us to pay for Carwings soon (after the 3 year subscription is up for newer LEAFs) and gave the following values as possible annual prices for Carwings: $140, $170, and $200.
My reaction was: No freaking way. Sirius XM/NavTraffic is just $3/month or $36/year and the benefit is comparable (actually I let NavTraffic expire as the traffic info from Google Maps is about 10 minutes newer, which with traffic is an eternity). I can't see paying anywhere near that for Carwings in its current semi-reliable state, with excessively slow response times and missing features. I'd still have trouble conceiving of that kind of payment even if the reliablility and speed of the connection were fixed, it offered good support for multi-LEAF households, and if Carwings started reporting SOC, GIDs, battery cell state, and history, but at least then it would be something worth paying for.
It also seems to me that the LEAF is in a fragile situation market-wise - yes it is now clearly the top-selling plug-in in the US and momentum is building, but it's still very much an early adopter market and other manufacturers are in good positions to snatch the leadership position from Nissan - so a move like charging for Carwings could stall that momentum. Especially considering that the LEAF owner who gets the letter announcing that Carwings will now cost her/him $140+/year will have had the car 2.5+ years, thus experiencing at least some battery degradation, and paying for the service will seem a bit like rubbing salt in the would.
What do others think? I should emphasize this is just a survey - if Nissan gets a resounding "no" response to paying that much for Carwings I'm sure they'll revise their plans.
But my big concern was the statement that they will be asking us to pay for Carwings soon (after the 3 year subscription is up for newer LEAFs) and gave the following values as possible annual prices for Carwings: $140, $170, and $200.
My reaction was: No freaking way. Sirius XM/NavTraffic is just $3/month or $36/year and the benefit is comparable (actually I let NavTraffic expire as the traffic info from Google Maps is about 10 minutes newer, which with traffic is an eternity). I can't see paying anywhere near that for Carwings in its current semi-reliable state, with excessively slow response times and missing features. I'd still have trouble conceiving of that kind of payment even if the reliablility and speed of the connection were fixed, it offered good support for multi-LEAF households, and if Carwings started reporting SOC, GIDs, battery cell state, and history, but at least then it would be something worth paying for.
It also seems to me that the LEAF is in a fragile situation market-wise - yes it is now clearly the top-selling plug-in in the US and momentum is building, but it's still very much an early adopter market and other manufacturers are in good positions to snatch the leadership position from Nissan - so a move like charging for Carwings could stall that momentum. Especially considering that the LEAF owner who gets the letter announcing that Carwings will now cost her/him $140+/year will have had the car 2.5+ years, thus experiencing at least some battery degradation, and paying for the service will seem a bit like rubbing salt in the would.
What do others think? I should emphasize this is just a survey - if Nissan gets a resounding "no" response to paying that much for Carwings I'm sure they'll revise their plans.