Questions Strangers Ask about your Leaf?

[PrairieLEAF]

The only question I've been asked so far is "how do you like your LEAF?" ...At which point I started gushing. I'm surprised she didn't ask why I don't marry it.

On my last camping trip, I was plugged into a level 2 at a hotel and a current-gen LEAF was connected to the other plug. A free-spirited-looking gent shuffled up, looked at the charging cables and cars, said "cute," and kept shuffling.

On the same trip, on a different level 2 in a mountain town with a bike/walking path next to it, I was plugged in next to another current-gen LEAF. I noticed several groups of pedestrians stopping at the charging station, pointing, and conferring.

It took a while to convince my grandparents that it doesn't have some kind of gasoline backup.

I think I've done the most EV-advocacy replying to posts on Facebook. There's so much misinformation that the general public is holding on to (and a significant number of trolls).

Hmm...for a T-shirt slogan, how about "This car Kicks Gas!"

[frontrangeleaf]

I've been talking up the Leaf in the 3 months we've had it. With exactly two exceptions, I have gotten exclusively polite, but decidedly cool reactions. No one wants to hear about our electric car. No matter the range. No matter the cost. No matter liveliness, fun-to-drive, etc, etc.

I guess everyone we know is convinced that all electric cars are ugly, under-powered, horribly limited little egg-mobiles. Not a Tesla? Shrug.

Several have talked about prior experiences in early Leafs, especially in winter, where the owner wasn't certain they'd make it across town, so everyone froze while they nursed the car to their destination. Left an impression, apparently, and not a confidence-inspiring one.

It will take some time for new info to trickle through. Nissan et al will definitely need to step up with some advertising. Tesla won't. They don't need to.

Kind of frustrating, actually. Not to mention, just plain sad.

I should mention that I'm in IT, and know a bunch of gear heads and geeks. Some with solar on their houses. I would have expected a warmer reception to be honest.

[goldbrick]

I like to think that 2 of my acquaintances who have purchased Leafs after I did were swayed by my positive opinion. In both cases, I think it helped a lot that it was a secondary car (as it was for me). Especially for a Leaf, I think that's an important qualification. Of course, as many here can attest to, once you drive an EV you want all your trips to be done in a EV

There are 4 drivers in our household and (excepting my wife's work pickup) 95% of our driving could be done on a Leaf. The pickup is probably used for a few k miles a year at most but for her work (landscaping) having an old beater truck is essential.

[BrockWI]

My most recent encounter...

So we were at my inlaws and their boat needed gas so I grabbed two of the empty tanks and threw them in the back of the Leaf and headed to the gas station. I pull in a larger busy gas station and stop at a pump and get out. I notice a guy walking out of the store just staring at me and stops and keeps staring, I was thinking, do I know him, whats up? Then I notice he starts to walk over to me as I open the hatch and start to take out the gas tanks. Then I see him start to smile and he get close enough and justs says "Ahhhh, I thought I was going to have to explain to you can't put gas in a Leaf", still smiling, and says "I see what your doing now." He smiled and told me his other car was a Leaf and he loves it. We chatted about the cars and he said he was adding a Model 3 in a week or two.

[powersurge]

No one has ever asked me anything about my Leaf after 5 years... It is like a non-topic to most people. I wonder how many even realize that it is not a gas car.

[DaveinOlyWA]

By far the most common; "so it "really" doesn't use "any" gas at all?

How far will it go?

What do you do if your battery goes dead?

How cheap is it really to operate?

Do you feel at all guilty about filling up the landfills with "poisonous" batteries?

How often do you have to replace the batteries?

I am seeing these all over the place now, how much does it cost to charge here? (mostly at DCFCs somewhere)

[TheLostPetrol]

I always get asked, "How long does it take to charge?"

[Flyct]

I get the comment that “I would own one because I’d be afraid I’d run out of battery charge”.

[LeftieBiker]

“I would own one because I’d be afraid I’d run out of battery charge”.

Wouldn't?