Nissan wants to know.......

[Jimmydreams]

1) CARWINGS nag screen
2) software update to allow switching between "Miles Remaining" and "SOC % Remaining"
3) 100 shares of Nissan stock for each month that I'm a Beta Tester.
(hey, you never know until you ask!!)
:mrgreen:

 

[azdre]

My questions are:

(1) how much of the interface will we be 'stuck' with for the life of the car? If there are updates to the ipod controls/radio to make it more user-friendly, would those updates be available to owners free of charge even out of warranty? How would we find out about these types of things?

(2) How can we provide feedback to Nissan to help them design the next set of cars, or improve the one's we have when possible. For things that aren't problems, but there might be a better way to do it.

 

[Jimmydreams]

1) CARWINGS nag screen
2) software update to allow switching between "Miles Remaining" and "SOC % Remaining"
3) 100 shares of Nissan stock for each month that I'm a Beta Tester.
(hey, you never know until you ask!!)
:mrgreen:

edit: 4) SYNCHRONIZE THE CLOCKS TO THE GPS/NAV!

 

[planet4ever]

I'll have a better feel when I get my car, but for now I think I'd list:

1. Come clean on delivery order mess and what they can/will do about it.
2. SOC readout with more precision than 12 steps.
3. Tell us what they know/believe about battery life differences between 80% and 100% charging.
4. Tell us what they know about efficiency of 120v charging vs. 240v charging.
5. Fix the CARWINGS nag screen.
6. Fix or explain mileage discrepancy between instrument panel and CARWINGS.

Ray

 

[Randmac]

Is Nissan really behind this request? They have their own customer service (chat, phone, and email) data. They have Nissan dealerships and service department data. And they have free publicly available data like MyNissanLeaf that provides information that most companies pay good money to get their hands on. How could they possibly not know what the top concerns are? If this really is Nissan asking, then my top concern is that they have to ask!

 

[pkeys]

I haven't received my LEAF yet so I'll list my top issues from that point of view:

1) A/C software issues mentioned here (figure this should be fixed by time I get delivery though)
2) Issues with AV (gone into great detail by others here and no I did not end up ordering from them)
3) Lack of clarity in delivery scheduling
4) Lack of information about long term costs of owning a LEAF i.e. how much does it cost to replace the batteries and how much will a subscription to Carwings cost after 3 years? (I'm well aware of the issues with estimating the cost of the batteries a few years out but some sort of guidance would be helpful)

Can't think of a 5th one right now.

 

[BlueSL]

How could they possibly not know what the top concerns are? If this really is Nissan asking, then my top concern is that they have to ask!

I know it seems weird, but let's take what we can get. Here is another issue.

If there is conventional wisdom floating around on this board that is wrong and leaving people with wrong impressions, Nissan should be making an effort to correct it. If the response to our concerns does not correct the conventional wisdom, then they should make an effort to clarify things for us.

Tell what we've got wrong, Nissan. It's in your best interest.

 

[mwalsh]

How could they possibly not know what the top concerns are? If this really is Nissan asking, then my top concern is that they have to ask!

I think the biggest issue they have with direct participation is the volume of back and forth dialogue being simply overwhelming. I would tend to agree in that I've only been gone myself for the last few days and came back almost 4 pages behind the conversation (so with that said, consider yourselves warned that I expect you to NOT post to this site while I'm away on vacation. Gosh knows how much catching up I'll have to do after two weeks! :lol: ).

There may be other issues too, like maybe control of the message. Hard to do if your obliged to give a direct answer to a direct question.

And is it Nissan asking? Well it's Nissan in name, in that it's their outside PR company I'm working with on this occasion. Would I feel better about it if it were someone internal, like David Reuter, contacting me directly? Sure, but if that's the way they want to play the game, then I'm happy to live by those rules. So long as the questions we ask are answered with solid information and not spin, that is. Or we get a reasonable explanation as to why they decline an answer.

 

[GeekEV]

1 Reliability
2 Delivering cars in proper order
3 charge stations in CW
4 dealers should have charging available 24/7/365 until some ev project infrastructure actually gets built
5 And allow CW to stay logged in and skip the "agree to" screen each time

(I do not have mine yet so mostly this is from the experience of others)

Ditto on 2-5, though I'm not so concerned about reliability. Sure, it has a glitch, but I'm sure they'll get it straightened out. I'm really not all that concerned about #2 either, since I have my car, but I can see how it would be frustrating for the rest of you.

I can confirm Nissan is watching/listening. When I got a call back about my iPod USB issues this morning, the rep was already familiar with my latest comments in that thread. :?

It would be nice to see them participate directly, but companies are always so skittish about watching what they say. Some people here do come across a bit intimidating, but I agree that a little transparency would do wonders. I'm ok with things not being perfect, so long as I know it's being investigated. The LEAF is a major leap for a traditional auto maker, there's bound to be some teething problems. Please cut them some slack people!

 

[goohan]

1. The skipping of the Sept./Oct. orders. Cars have to be delivered in the order they were placed.
2. Addressing the AC and software issues.
3. Poor coordination between Nissan and Ecotality.
4. Customer service line that isn't able to address issues. They cause more frustration.

Thanks for listening. I hope we get some useful answers from Nissan.

 

[hvera]

1. Lack of transparency in order fulfillment
2. The a/c issue
3. The reality behind the 80% - 100% charge and whether the battery pack is truly 24kwh or 27kwh and whether 100% charge is really 100% or 100% of some consumer safe defined amount of charge.
4. The report of fast change to turtle then dead
5. The lack of data in regards to charge stations and accuracy of the nav.

 

[Azrich]

I, for one, am glad Nissan is asking us. I don't care how they ask or through whom.

1) AC / software problem - This will harm the reputation if it in not solved quickly. I've had my AC coolant adjusted after being towed in on the 6th day of ownership, but I'm not convinced now that it won't happen again. I need this assurance. I have got to be able to depend on the AC working every time in our Tucson heat. Today it is 96.

2) Waiting list order - There does need to be a clear way to know where you are in the waiting list. It seemed Tucson was the last to begin getting LEAFs even though my PD has been ready for a long time.

3) CARWINGS issues - some features don't seem to work smoothly.

4) Public chargers - I was told at the Green Fest today by the lady helping to see their installation here that we won't begin to see them in Tucson until August or September. The visibility of the chargers is important for future sales of the LEAF. People need to know the infrastructure exists for them to own an EV.

5) The extended warranty that Nissan offers for the LEAF needs to be written specifically for the LEAF. The one offered to me for about $1500 was for a vehicle with over 4000 + moving parts and systems like "lubrication", and other ICE systems. It was kind of an insult to be asked to buy something not designed for the LEAF.

((((((( #6 -if I may - I agree with Jimmy, it may not be Nissan stock, but it would be good for Beta Testers to be offered some compensation for taking this risk --- maybe a large discount on a new battery pack after 5 years, free service checks for a few years, OR having the interior re-upholstered in a darker grey.)))))))))

 

[bowthom]

mwalsh,
I must be getting a thick skin I didn't think we were that bad. Maybe it's just the threads I haven't commented on. :lol:

My list:
1. The real scoop on the current A/C (hi voltage leakage) problem, with good accurate technical data and no CYA. Everyone here wants this car to succeed, no band aides please.
2. Are they working on improving the range calculations and or giving us a more accurate SOC gauge?
If so, will it be something us early adopters will benefit from?
3. Order process transparency with good regular communication. We don't mind waiting, we do mind waiting in the dark.
4. Carwings data integrity and reporting consistency.

This is from an owners perspective of course.

 

[sdbonez]

I think the biggest issue they have with direct participation is the volume of back and forth dialogue being simply overwhelming.

There could be a way to help with this. Here are a few ideas:

• Something reasonable like a poll where members vote on issues they'd like to see some more detailed answers to and Nissan makes an effort to provide some details weekly.
• A specific sub-forum dedicated to Nissan Q&A with some moderators willing to lend a hand to keep things clean.
• A wiki where people could edit questions and Nissan could answer them (something like their twitter feed, even) - just with some more technical bits rather than just marketing.
• There's always full thread moderation.

Regardless, forums in general aren't like 'trouble tickets' - not every post has to be answered and members shouldn't be getting upset if/when this happens. If something's important, people 'bump' it up to the top. Forums are cheaper than call centers, too. Another good strategy is to have call center folks in the forums once trained/seasoned/trusted answering some questions during their downtime. Helps make more effective use of resources already paid for.

all just ideas...

 

[thankyouOB]

1 Reliability
2 Delivering cars in proper order
3 charge stations in CW
4 dealers should have charging available 24/7/365 until some ev project infrastructure actually gets built
5 And allow CW to stay logged in and skip the "agree to" screen each time

(I do not have mine yet so mostly this is from the experience of others)

I agree with this.
the ordering sequence is a serious concern for key players here who live in CA and perhpas a concern for all, but it will eventually be resolved. While the reliability issues and others will remain for all.
(CA would have been smarter to do what WA did--exempt the car from sales tax.)

I would think some corporate responsibility to assure that the 5k CA rebate or its equivalent will go to all 2010 orders would satisfy most of those lost-order issues. If it were 200 cars that would be just a million dollars. Surely, good will is worth that.
Then, we all could focus on the reliability issues on EV going forward successfully.

 

[Stoaty]

It is fantastic that they want to know the top 5 issues. I don't think they will participate directly in the forum, and it really isn't necessary. Here are my top 5:

1) The real scoop on the current A/C (hi voltage leakage) problem, with good accurate technical data. This is crucial for me to have confidence that my car is going to work when I go to drive it. I want as much information as possible: what the root cause is, if the current software fix is a bandaid or the permanent fix. A rough estimate of when the permanent fix might be available. Doesn't matter if the permanent fix is a couple months off. Without this information, I (and others) will always be wondering if we are going to run into this problem. We need enough information to feel confident that the problem has been completely resolved.

2) The estimated difference in battery life between using 80% charging all the time versus 100% charging all the time. Also, is it necessary to charge to 100% periodically to balance the cells?

3) Software update to allow switching between "Miles Remaining" and "SOC % Remaining"

4) 90% charge available, unless the estimated difference in battery life vs. 100% is so small it doesn't matter

5) Carwings
--Charge stations in Carwings
--Allow Carwings to stay logged in and skip the "agree to" screen each time
--Fix mileage discrepancy between instrument panel and Carwings

PS Numbers 2-5 are minor compared to #1, which is the only issue that has given me pause about purchasing the Leaf.

 

[Deleted member 770]

1 Reliability
2 Delivering cars in proper order
3 charge stations in CW
4 dealers should have charging available 24/7/365 until some ev project infrastructure actually gets built
5 And allow CW to stay logged in and skip the "agree to" screen each time

(I do not have mine yet so mostly this is from the experience of others)

+1 to this, although from my test drives (I don't have one yet), I agree with Mogur's post about the over-boosted steering. I'd probably put that as #3. And for me as a Nov. order, I'd put "Delivering cars in proper order" as #1 for now...they really need to get that corrected properly (by re-distributing the vehicles), as it'll impact (California) people's ability to purchase their vehicles, depending on whether they qualify for the rebate.

 

[MaryC]

My concerns are:

1. Better info on delivery date (this is a major purchase and requires financial planning for most of us.) Not knowing when the car is coming makes it hard to plan vacations and such. Also w/ the added misfortune of a major disaster they should at least come clean and say Your car made it out safely and your should get it soon. or Sorry your car is being delayed because of the earthquake, and give us a realistic prediction on when it might arrive. If it is delayed for 6-12mths let us know this too.


I guess that is my main concern. Until I actually get the car.

 

[downeykp]

While I feel the pain of the forgotten orders, we must remember that this is groundbreaking stuff.
No other big car company has ventured down this road. Are things perfect? No!
Nissan has to be given credit. That being said:
1. Delivery issues, I am one of the "linejumpers". I did not ask to be. I really was comfortable waiting until the
end of summer. I would gladly give up my place in line for an August delivery.
2. EVProject, this whole system is a load of BS. It is grossly discriminatory. I live about 20 out of the Seattle EVProject area. My commute is no different than anyone else's, but because of where I live my Leaf experience
costs me over $3000.
3. AeroVironment, What a rip-off. $2000 for hooking up three wires and two mounting screws.
4. On the plus side. I have been amazed at the amount of knowledge people on this thread have: Mike Walsh, GaryGid, DaveinOly et all. Your insights have really made my decision to jump into this the most researched thing that I ever bought. Mahalo.
5. Ingineer or Phil, Thanks for bringing such a great product to us. Why didn't Nissan do this to start with?

 

[jcesare]

Just a quick comment, sanity check, and suggestion.

No company likes transperancy, especially Japanese companies. The perception is that Americans are litigious. Nobody is going to go on the record without a team of lawyers reviewing every word. They fear a class action lawsuit.

The main reason the delivery date screw up is an issue is because the CA rebate pool is limited. The simple solution is to guarentee every skipped order a $5000 rebate IF the pool has gone dry by delivery time. If Nissan outsourced the ordering system and that company processeed the data incorrectly, it may be possible that that company would ultimately be liable for the cost.

It seems to me that in the long term all the ill will and bad word of mouth will cost this company a lot more than $5000 per screwed customer.