LEAF advisory group

[DaveinOlyWA]

after all, it aint really about the LEAF, its really on what needs to be done to kick EVs into higher gear

I disagree. In the greater sense, sure, we are interested in the EV movement going forward. But for right now, we have to dismantle this firewall between owners and Nissan. And if your focus isn't initially on THAT, then you've already lost the plot.

well, right now since Nissan only has one EV, whether we say "EV" or say "LEAF" it is all one and the same. it is still about battery life, temperature effects, pack replacement costs, "real" gauges and more information on what an EV owner can expect.

what we want is peace of mind and that is hard to get when no one knows what these LEAFs are going to do 2 years from now if we have an average of XXº with expected highs of XXº X times a year.

now, someone has that information and we need to figure out how to present that information to people AND prevent them from hurting themselves when they get dizzy and fall

 

[Ingineer]

I guess since I was not notified, I was not chosen for the LAG, correct?

-Phil

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

I guess since I was not notified, I was not chosen for the LAG, correct?

-Phil

sorry Phil. guess maybe Nissan is mad at you for revealing too many of their secrets?

 

[Ingineer]

sorry Phil. guess maybe Nissan is mad at you for revealing too many of their secrets?

I guess I incorrectly had assumed this wasn't being directed by Nissan. I thought this was a community liaison effort, hence Chelsea's role.

-Phil

 

[TomT]

+1

after all, it aint really about the LEAF, its really on what needs to be done to kick EVs into higher gear

I disagree. In the greater sense, sure, we are interested in the EV movement going forward. But for right now, we have to dismantle this firewall between owners and Nissan. And if your focus isn't initially on THAT, then you've already lost the plot.

 

[TomT]

Well, if true, it is clearly their loss! But then, Nissan has shown that making good decisions is not their strong suit...

I guess since I was not notified, I was not chosen for the LAG, correct?

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

sorry Phil. guess maybe Nissan is mad at you for revealing too many of their secrets?

I guess I incorrectly had assumed this wasn't being directed by Nissan. I thought this was a community liaison effort, hence Chelsea's role.

-Phil

ohhhh, dont take my response too literally!! it was my understanding that Nissan has NO role in the decision making process... it was just a joke...gotta work on my "smiley" process

 

[JPWhite]

I guess since I was not notified, I was not chosen for the LAG, correct?

-Phil

I PM'd Chelsea and have heard nothing back. Not sure how the selection process will work and when candidates will be invited to join.

 

[DaveEV]

I guess since I was not notified, I was not chosen for the LAG, correct?

If not, that's disappointing since outside of Nissan Phil probably has the best knowledge of the LEAF's internal workings and shortcomings.

 

[evchels]

sorry Phil. guess maybe Nissan is mad at you for revealing too many of their secrets?

I guess I incorrectly had assumed this wasn't being directed by Nissan. I thought this was a community liaison effort, hence Chelsea's role.

-Phil

You're right, Phil, Nissan has had no role at all in the individual member choices. For better or worse, it's all my fault!

Previously in this thread, I've posted my thinking on the types of perspectives to include, and others chimed in with some. I've been trying (maybe even overthinking in some cases) to fit in as many different ones as possible, and have 5 guys committed so far for the US group, 3 of them nominated multiple times each in this forum. Darell Dickey (Davis, CA) and Don Francis (Atlanta, GA) are the others- both EV community veterans since the 1990's, and very well respected. Don is also an industry veteran with extensive infrastructure experience, which I wanted to include given the importance many of you have expressed around that topic as one the advisory board should weigh in on.

I'd like to fit in a couple more, and have issued a couple more invites- women obviously need representing, and I'm struggling some with the geographic distribution. On one hand, it generally reflects the current owner and enthusiast distribution- as much as a handful of people can. However, the middle of the country is pretty bare and I've been obsessing about that some. For better or worse I've tended toward picking the right people first and making sure a mix of perspectives asked for by the group are represented over prioritizing geography or other aspect for the sake of it, but I know some will inevitably be left out. And I know there are a few of you who sent me offline notes and haven't heard back. I'm really sorry for the delay as I've been assembling the jigsaw puzzle- I've also been trying to see how much I can reasonably stretch it.

But as I've said, the intention was also to create a group that interacts with the broader community in different places- so anyone who wants to give input will be able to. To that end, Phil, I'd love to have yours.

I want to be respectful about talking publicly about why specific individuals haven't been picked, but am happy to discuss general reasoning or discuss offline. In many cases it came down to having too many good choices in CA and the West Coast in general, and only being able to pick a few.

 

[evchels]

after all, it aint really about the LEAF, its really on what needs to be done to kick EVs into higher gear

I disagree. In the greater sense, sure, we are interested in the EV movement going forward. But for right now, we have to dismantle this firewall between owners and Nissan. And if your focus isn't initially on THAT, then you've already lost the plot.

I don't think this is an either/or. Establishing more communication and a better relationship with the community is absolutely needed if we're ever going to significantly broaden the EV population. I'd hope the adv group chooses to have eyes on both.

 

[mwalsh]

I don't think this is an either/or. Establishing more communication and a better relationship with the community is absolutely needed if we're ever going to significantly broaden the EV population. I'd hope the adv group chooses to have eyes on both.

Well, me too. But LEAF sales are going nowhere fast without restoration of early adopters' confidence in what they're being asked to promote.

 

[TomT]

+1!

But LEAF sales are going nowhere fast without restoration of early adopters confidence in what they're being asked to promote.

 

[TEG]

...In many cases it came down to having too many good choices in CA and the West Coast in general, and only being able to pick a few...

Personally, I will chose to assume that for my case rather than some other reason...

Great to see Darrell (EVnut) part of the group!

Too bad if Phil isn't part of it. His depth of knowledge about the inner workings of the LEAF is probably unmatched by anyone else in the group.

 

[darelldd]

Great to see Darrell (EVnut) part of the group!

Shucks, thanks. Mostly, I was chosen for my rank ignorance of the product.
What made me irresistible (I mean besides my Brad Pitt-like physique) is that I'm a big ol' EV fan who had an early deposit down on the LEAF way back when. And ended up NOT consummating that purchase.

Anyway... thanks for the confidence, TEG.

 

[pchilds]

I want to be respectful about talking publicly about why specific individuals haven't been picked, but am happy to discuss general reasoning or discuss offline. In many cases it came down to having too many good choices in CA and the West Coast in general, and only being able to pick a few.

Aren't the majority of LEAFs in the US in CA and on the West Coast? You can't expect to find as many owners in the middle of the country, when only a comparatively few LEAFs have been sold their.

 

[cwerdna]

I want to be respectful about talking publicly about why specific individuals haven't been picked, but am happy to discuss general reasoning or discuss offline. In many cases it came down to having too many good choices in CA and the West Coast in general, and only being able to pick a few.

Aren't the majority of LEAFs in the US in CA and on the West Coast? You can't expect to find as many owners in the middle of the country, when only a comparatively few LEAFs have been sold their.

Well, re: the geographic distribution, there's also the areas and order in which Nissan chose to roll out the Leaf besides CA being the most populous state and having CA incentives (CVRP and CA HOV stickers). And, there's the large # of CHAdeMO chargers in WA, OR and TN. Leafs weren't available in much of the US for awhile. I don't know all the phases and corresponding states. I'm sure someone else does.

And, in some states, dealers were of no help in selling the Leaf. From http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=216823#p216823" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;:

I live about 45 mins away from New Orleans... as I stated in another thread, my local dealer laughed in my face when I mentioned the Leaf... so I'm just wondering if there are any Cajun Leaf owners???

 

[downeykp]

Sorry Chelsea but your response is a friggin cop-out. Someone does not want Phil on the committee. It would look bad if Phil called bullshit on some technical aspect of discussions. Because we all know that he knows more about how a Leaf works than any idiot at Nissan.
This whole friggin process is a sham. It is all corporate speak for kicking the can down the road.
Phil has done more to make driving a Leaf a better experience than Nissan has. He makes the corporation look bad because they did a bad job.
Shame on Nissan.

sorry Phil. guess maybe Nissan is mad at you for revealing too many of their secrets?

I guess I incorrectly had assumed this wasn't being directed by Nissan. I thought this was a community liaison effort, hence Chelsea's role.

-Phil

You're right, Phil, Nissan has had no role at all in the individual member choices. For better or worse, it's all my fault!

Previously in this thread, I've posted my thinking on the types of perspectives to include, and others chimed in with some. I've been trying (maybe even overthinking in some cases) to fit in as many different ones as possible, and have 5 guys committed so far for the US group, 3 of them nominated multiple times each in this forum. Darell Dickey (Davis, CA) and Don Francis (Atlanta, GA) are the others- both EV community veterans since the 1990's, and very well respected. Don is also an industry veteran with extensive infrastructure experience, which I wanted to include given the importance many of you have expressed around that topic as one the advisory board should weigh in on.

I'd like to fit in a couple more, and have issued a couple more invites- women obviously need representing, and I'm struggling some with the geographic distribution. On one hand, it generally reflects the current owner and enthusiast distribution- as much as a handful of people can. However, the middle of the country is pretty bare and I've been obsessing about that some. For better or worse I've tended toward picking the right people first and making sure a mix of perspectives asked for by the group are represented over prioritizing geography or other aspect for the sake of it, but I know some will inevitably be left out. And I know there are a few of you who sent me offline notes and haven't heard back. I'm really sorry for the delay as I've been assembling the jigsaw puzzle- I've also been trying to see how much I can reasonably stretch it.

But as I've said, the intention was also to create a group that interacts with the broader community in different places- so anyone who wants to give input will be able to. To that end, Phil, I'd love to have yours.

I want to be respectful about talking publicly about why specific individuals haven't been picked, but am happy to discuss general reasoning or discuss offline. In many cases it came down to having too many good choices in CA and the West Coast in general, and only being able to pick a few.

 

[Pipcecil]

I don't know your demographic choices (I don't know all these people personally), but I would like you to consideration a young(er) generation represented - my group, pre-family (or right about family time, mid 20's low 30's?). This group has a very different wants/needs, different finacial situations (i.e. disposable cash), and different views on technology/green movement (maybe first real car purchase), than those whom have settled in a long career or whom are at the end or retired.

Something to consider.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Sorry Chelsea but your response is a friggin cop-out. Someone does not want Phil on the committee. It would look bad if Phil called bullshit on some technical aspect of discussions. Because we all know that he knows more about how a Leaf works than any idiot at Nissan.
This whole friggin process is a sham. It is all corporate speak for kicking the can down the road.
Phil has done more to make driving a Leaf a better experience than Nissan has. He makes the corporation look bad because they did a bad job.
Shame on Nissan.

ok, maybe we need to dial it down here a bit. It is not hard to understand why Phil was not chosen. its a limited guest list. which means 90% of people who "should be here" will not be.

the other thing is this is not a technical focus group because if it was, then picking me is a HUGE mistake and Phil would be at the top of a very short list.

This is a Marketing focus. It is primarily for those who have experience in talking with other people who have EV interest and Phil DOES have a lot of experience doing that as all who were chosen for this group. There are a lot of EV evangelists out there who have a very fair balanced outlook on what EVs need to succeed and there is more than one way to get that success.

But once again; its a numbers game. A lot of very good people were not picked