Nissan's possible alternative to cure range neurosis

[Yanquetino]

Now here's a really great idea:

Nissan May Offer Free Car Loans To Leaf Buyers

Sounds like Nissan is investigating ways to convince consumers with range neurosis to reserve a LEAF instead of a Volt. My gut reaction is that the plan just might work! I would say that two weeks per year with an ICE would be more feasible, however, especially if a LEAF owner could use the days individually rather than in a "lump sum." Come to think of it, Nissan could just give customers rental car vouchers, if their own dealers balked at managing the loaners.

In a nutshell: rather than hauling a gasoline generator around with you all day, every day, 365 days a year, you could just schedule your reserved ICE when really needed for those rare-long-distance trips. Everyone's a winner! Well... except GM.

Bet'cha Nissan asks about this in their next consumer survey.

 

[smkettner]

I could see it for the first year or two but not for life of ownership

 

[driveleaf]

I'm betting most of us have an ice car in the garage with our leaf already. So the program seems redundant in the US with our multicar families.


Besides, Avis, enterprise, and national all have online coupons for everybody.

 

[LEAFer]

I'm betting most of us have an ice car in the garage with our leaf already. So the program seems redundant in the US with our multicar families.

True. But if there was such a perk ... I could use it to "rent" something else we might need/enjoy. Like an AWD larger vehicle to go skiing. And/or maybe the gas is paid for as part of the perk. etc etc

 

[Yanquetino]

I'm betting most of us have an ice car in the garage with our leaf already. So the program seems redundant in the US with our multicar families.

Besides, Avis, enterprise, and national all have online coupons for everybody.

True... for MOST of us. However, there are some households with only one car, and those are the very drivers who might prefer a Volt over a LEAF just so they could visit grandma a couple of times a year. This incentive would address that limitation, and possibly convince them that the less expensive LEAF could meet their driving needs just fine.

Uh... do Avis, Enterprise, and National offer coupons for free rentals, like this idea would entail? It's been a while since I've rented a car, obviously.

 

[Norway]

I bought my EV to have as a second car, and to drive to work in the city.

I've hardly used my ICE vehicle for so long that it is being sold!

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

The major rental chains might wind up vying for mind share amongst EV enthusiasts. Just like heroine, the first one is free.

 

[tps]

The LEAF will be my only car. I'm single and seldom take long trips, but a rental car would be nice for those few-and-far-between occasions. Even round trip from my house to the airport is pushing the LEAF's range, but I'm guessing I can park it at one of the nearby "valet" parking services and they'll plug it in while I'm gone. The included L1 charger would be great for this...

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

i think the program will attract some buyers but not very many. we are talking a single car household and i venture to say, that percentage will be very small or temporary. its easy to see a single person being in that situation, but how long will they be single?

 

[Jimmydreams]

i think the program will attract some buyers but not very many. we are talking a single car household and i venture to say, that percentage will be very small or temporary. its easy to see a single person being in that situation, but how long will they be single?

It might not attract that many buyers, but it can go a LONG way to killing the 'range anxiety' argument. It's kind of like insurance. You may never need it, but it's comforting to a lot of people just to know it's "there". Let's face it, how many gadgets do you buy over the years that have all SORTS of capabilities, but you know darn well you'll never use half of them? Same thing here....a lot of people would see the loaner car as a plus, regardless of whether or not they actually use it.

 

[Yanquetino]

i think the program will attract some buyers but not very many. we are talking a single car household and i venture to say, that percentage will be very small or temporary. its easy to see a single person being in that situation, but how long will they be single?

If that demographic is such a small percentage, I find it ironic that it is the market GM is aiming for with the Volt.

Maybe it is not simply a matter of a "one car household," but any car that daily travels less than 100 miles, yet needs to travel further a couple of times each year. For example, perhaps a husband and wife both have their own cars, but he needs his car every single day, and she needs to drive to her company's headquarters 300 miles away two or three times a year. With an incentive like this, she could still buy a LEAF for her daily commute, and take advantage of her free ICE loaner in those instances.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

i think the program will attract some buyers but not very many. we are talking a single car household and i venture to say, that percentage will be very small or temporary. its easy to see a single person being in that situation, but how long will they be single?

It might not attract that many buyers, but it can go a LONG way to killing the 'range anxiety' argument. It's kind of like insurance. You may never need it, but it's comforting to a lot of people just to know it's "there". Let's face it, how many gadgets do you buy over the years that have all SORTS of capabilities, but you know darn well you'll never use half of them? Same thing here....a lot of people would see the loaner car as a plus, regardless of whether or not they actually use it.

i agree with you 100%. i deal with unrealistic expectations of customers EVERY day at my job. their concerns is always the "2% scenario" and that is with $200 products. that concern is magnified as the price increases so with a $30,000 product they will be focused on the 3/10th of one percent solution; their 10 year family reunion that is 500 miles away

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

If that demographic is such a small percentage, I find it ironic that it is the market GM is aiming for with the Volt.

Maybe it is not simply a matter of a "one car household," but any car that daily travels less than 100 miles, yet needs to travel further a couple of times each year. For example, perhaps a husband and wife both have their own cars, but he needs his car every single day, and she needs to drive to her company's headquarters 300 miles away two or three times a year. With an incentive like this, she could still buy a LEAF for her daily commute, and take advantage of her free ICE loaner in those instances.[/quote]

1) you are surprised that GM is launching an ad campaign based on BS, misconceptions and untruths?? as a Prius owner i am very familiar with GM's previous failed attempts to discredit advanced technology

2) your scenario would work if the wife's commute would not work for the Leaf and yes that could happen in 3% of households. in my situation we have to have 2 cars but BOTH our commutes are easily within the Leaf's range and i am willing to bet my scenario fits for 80+% of the market. so now we have somewhat less than 10-15% to deal with.

so ya, range anxiety will be an issue that i feel will resolve itself as owners relay personal experiences to their friends and neighbors.

 

[Yanquetino]

1) you are surprised that GM is launching an ad campaign based on BS, misconceptions and untruths?? as a Prius owner i am very familiar with GM's previous failed attempts to discredit advanced technology

2) your scenario would work if the wife's commute would not work for the Leaf and yes that could happen in 3% of households. in my situation we have to have 2 cars but BOTH our commutes are easily within the Leaf's range and i am willing to bet my scenario fits for 80+% of the market. so now we have somewhat less than 10-15% to deal with.

so ya, range anxiety will be an issue that i feel will resolve itself as owners relay personal experiences to their friends and neighbors.

Hah! My comment about GM's marketing was tongue-in-cheek. Let's face it: the whole reason GM has shoehorned a gasoline generator into the Volt is to play to consumers' range neurosis --despite what the statistics say about the daily driving needs of the vast majority of drivers. I am willing to wager that, once Volt owners have driven that vehicle for a few months, the one thing they'll wish it had above all will be a longer EV range --and consequently GM will produce a pure EV version with Volt 2.0. That's my guess, anyway.

Do you think that my above scenario only applies to 3%? Maybe. Your guess is as good as mine there, but I suspect that it might be higher, because it seems to me that a lot of people take longer trips at least once or twice a year.

If we're going to speculate about that actual statistics, off the top of my head I would imagine that the largest percentage of drivers' circumstances are like our own. Our LEAF will be our primary vehicle for probably 98% of our driving. As for the other 2%, we'll just keep our Subaru Outback for those rare instances when we need 4x4 in deep snow, tow our small sailboat, haul bulky loads, visit the in-laws a couple of times per year, etc. A Volt just wouldn't cut it as a substitute for both vehicles, given all those occasional needs. I figure that, by the time the Subaru gives up the ghost, automakers will likely have PHEVs --perhaps even EVs-- fully capable of replacing it. Time will tell.

 

[evnow]

Hah! My comment about GM's marketing was tongue-in-cheek. Let's face it: the whole reason GM has shoehorned a gasoline generator into the Volt is to play to consumers' range neurosis --despite what the statistics say about the daily driving needs of the vast majority of drivers.

GM has convinced itself EV1 was a "failure" because people had range anxiety and didn't want to buy EV1. When you repeat the lie often enough, you start believing it yourself.

The conventional wisdom on PHEV is that - BEVs are too expensive, so the idea is to use smaller sized batteries to make them affordable. Ofcourse GM turned the logic on its head and made a PHEV more expensive than a BEV.

 

[charlie1300]

I don't have any stats, so I will only comment about the people I know. I'm in a suburban/rural area of upstate NY. Most people I know have daily activities that are well within the range of the Leaf, and then there are longer trips to see friends/relatives/vacations that will require longer range. Since the longer trips are almost always "family" trips, only one long distance car is required. So having a Leaf for local trips and an ICE or Hybrid for long distance works out really well. I don't know any families that don't have at least two cars. Some have more vehicles than members of the family.

I think range neurosis will vanish as people actually use the car, and tell their friends about it. It's just been hyped by the media and their "expert" commentators, who have said a lot of hogwash. If the car has a range of 70-100 miles and your daily activities are 47 miles, what's there to get excited about? Experience will allow peope to deal with reality rather than someone else's opnion.

I also think all the talk about the lack of public charging infrastructure is silly. It's a local car with a limited range, people will figure that out in about 30 seconds, and will make another plan if they need to exceed the range. I don't think I will even order the L3 port, because I can't imagine ever using it. (With all due respect to the members here who are pumped about figuring a way to drive their Leaf from LA to Portland, you're not the average driver.)
The advantage of the free rental offer and the public charging stations on the NAV screen is that it will get buyer to begin to seriously consider the Leaf. Then when thery start thinking, they can see they don't really need any of that.

 

[tps]

its easy to see a single person being in that situation, but how long will they be single?

I'm 55, never been married...

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

My 3% comment was based on my estimate. Of people who have greater than an 80 mile RT commute

 

[c1987]

Seems Nissan is considering free rental cars, but not in North America.

http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20101008/OEM/101009871/1261

 

[garygid]

tps,
Once you have a LEAF, you
may be "plucked" from the branch.