How do you talk about your LEAF?

This might seem like an odd topic but I'm struggling with how to talk about the car and accentuate it's positive attributes without sounding pious or condescending. After all, I'm well aware that I'm not saving the world by driving a LEAF. That said, in talking with co-workers and family who are resistant and/or hostile to the concept of the EV, I can't help but to come to the conclusion that the at least some of the resistance is rooted in the fact that they all drive ICEs. It's bad enough when the topic of rising gas prices come up, but when talking about energy as it related to national security and the environment most people do not want to be reminded that their lifestyle choices have an impact on our country and the globe. Most discussions about EVs will necessarily remind them of that.

So my question to you, fellow LEAFers: How do you talk to the uninitiated about the car?

Some strategies I've tried include:

- Using disclaimers like, "This was the right choice for me because..."
- Demonstrating sympathy about the recent increases in gas prices.
- Limiting the conversation to performance, charge time and tech features and ignoring the broader political/social/environmental implications unless broached by the other party.

Here's mine:

#1 The commuter lane gives me a minimum of 30 extra minutes a day with my kids.
#2 I'm tired of allocating so much of our household income to big oil and counties that hate us.
#3 As I'm in my 40's and this is the first new car I've ever purchased, I'm showing that (for better or worse) EV technology is something I'm willing to put money behind. It was also a great way to buy a car without stepping foot onto a dealership.

If non of this works, just throw them the keys and go for a ride.

I tell them it's clean, quiet, and is running at the equivalent of 120mpg. Then I tell them that I went 1747 miles on $60 worth of electricity. Throw in the car-pool lane stickers, federal and (possible) Ca rebates, and most people are hooked.

Here's my most recent example how I talk about our leaf. I pulled into the Irvine Nissan dealership to ask a few questions 2 days ago (Friday the 6th). When I came out, there was a guy asking the dales rep about my car and I could see he didn't know much if anything at all. By the time I got done talking to the guy (20 minutes or so) I felt like I'd made a sale! And the sales rep was lovin' it too.

ByeByePump said:

#3 As I'm in my 40's and this is the first new car I've ever purchased, I'm showing that (for better or worse) EV technology is something I'm willing to put money behind.

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I'm in my mid 50's; the LEAF will be the first new car I've purchased. I want to get into the EV revolution while I still have a few years to enjoy it. The only downside is that it may turn me into a little old man with a hat who drives 10 MPH below the speed limit... Apparemtly I talk about the LEAF enough that the people who know me seem to be firmly in the anti-EV or EV camps, even though it'll be a year before Nissan starts taking orders here.

tps said:

The only downside is that it may turn me into a little old man with a hat who drives 10 MPH below the speed limit...

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So ... ditch the hat

I would say it is a free country; you choose what is good for you and what fits your lifestyle. As the OP states, I avoid giving the impression that I'm right and they are wrong.
I stay away from politics, focus on technical details and answer questions about the car with honesty and passion.
The EV is a new paradigm and it requires a new way of thinking. Some people won't change their way of driving after a conversation or two.

LBCev said:

So my question to you, fellow LEAFers: How do you talk to the uninitiated about the car?

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For the most part, I let them ask the questions and I try to "lead" them fairly little. The only time I "redirect" their questions is when they ask "how long does it take to charge?" I let them know at a regular charge station or at home I get 14 miles per hour it's plugged in or on a regular 120 volt outlet about 5 miles for every hour of charge.

Frequently I'm told "but I can only drive 100 miles a day," however I quickly correct them to 100 miles per charge and they'll usually look at me strangely. I ask them how many hours it would be parked at work and then remind them that depending on charging infrastructure, that could be time spent charging. That usually results with a grin on their face because they're starting to "get it."

I frequently will talk to people who believe their driving habits wouldn't support a Leaf. Instead of trying to force them to understand how it would work, I usually will let them know that if the Leaf wouldn't work for them to instead focus on plug-in vehicles that will soon emerge onto the market. The Volt isn't a competitor, it's just a gateway drug to eventually going to all-electric drive!

I explain that the LEAF, under its current specifications, will satisfy 95%+ of my driving needs. My work commute is exactly 50 miles, roundtrip, and is done as a carpool with my wife (who works across the street). I also explain that the LEAF is not for everybody, and that I have put nearly 18 months of painstaking research into this purchase (our first new car purchase). We have not even received ours yet, but I feel like I know everything about it, having dedicated far too many hours to reading here, reading the owner and service manuals, etc.

I agree with the hostility toward EV's, but would say that the interest and hostility are split about 50/50 in my case. A lot of people are interested in seeing my experience, and maybe researching purchasing a LEAF or similar model based on what I report - mainly my coworkers. A lot of the hostility comes from my own family and inner circle. My dad (an engineer, who should know better) and two of my best friends (an engineer and a scientist, also should know better) scoff at the idea. I think they see the government incentives as social engineering tools. I argue back that the incentives help to put these awesome vehicles within reach of mine and my wife's modest, non-profit salaries, and into the hands of many other middle-income folks and that social engineering has little to do with it (i.e., absent the incentives, if I made just a little more money, I would STILL buy the car!).

I agree though. Talking about it can be awkward; it represents such a major paradigm shift in how we commute, and how we and others see our impact on the environment and national security.

I generally stay away from the economics argument because, at least for me, the LEAF does not make much economics sense. And this is in a locale where electricity costs between $0.035/kWh and $0.078/kWh (that's three and a half cents, and eight cents, in case anybody thinks it's a typo!). I drive about 7500 miles a year. My current car gets about 25 mpg. Even at $5/gallon, it'll take a while for me to break even with the LEAF.

I also generally stay away from environmental issues, because 1. climate change deniers will be climate change deniers and 2. the LEAF is not that much cleaner than, say, a Prius, with a fraction of the practicality.

I do tout the LEAF's suitability to my driving needs, its 100%-torque--at-0-rpm ability, its hi-tech gee-whiz stuff.

I also do point out that the petro-dictators can go f*ck themselves. (Of course, then I had to beat back the stupid "if everybody has an electric car, we'd be having brown-outs every day" argument.)

Of course, it all depends on whom I'm talking to and under what circumstance. It wouldn't be very smart of me to point out to an obviously-not-very-well-off SUV driver that my commute costs me between $1.50 and $3.00 a week.

Jimmydreams said:

I tell them it's clean, quiet, and is running at the equivalent of 120mpg. Then I tell them that I went 1747 miles on $60 worth of electricity. Throw in the car-pool lane stickers, federal and (possible) Ca rebates, and most people are hooked.

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Hey JimmyD: That about says it all. If that doesn't make an impression, nothing will.

But, some folks' minds are pretty well made up. For example, I have a friend who just bought a new Dodge Ram pick-em-up with the "big Hemi V/8". He goes on and on about how powerful it is, how "kick-ass" it looks, sounds, etc, etc. When I asked about the $100 to fill the tank, he says that it's all a "conspiracy", and that gas would be under $1/Gal, if the oil companies were allowed to drill. I just sigh and walk away.

Rake said:

tps said:

The only downside is that it may turn me into a little old man with a hat who drives 10 MPH below the speed limit...

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So ... ditch the hat

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+1: I'm a "little old man"; and I've ditched the hat, and I manage to drive right at the speed limit---mostly in the right hand lane. Life is good! :lol:

I mostly talk about how to make it work i.e. 2 car families, use the other car for longer drives etc.

I also tell them it goes 70 miles on a charge (on freeways, heater etc).

I explain how much it costs ("it is cheaper than a prius", no sales tax etc). How to charge it and it costs $35 in electric bill if you drive 1,000 miles.

I apparently have a different tactic. I ignore the political, environmental and social aspects altogether and talk about the unique driving experience. After all, that's what I love about it as well.

I'm a techno-geek, and I have ALWAYS been interested in electric vehicles. They fascinate me. The environmental and related aspects are just a bonus to me. Same reason why I love my Xebra, it's unique, drives and feels like nothing else out on the road, and it's just plain special.

Of course, their biggest question and concerns are about range, to which it's an easy reply. This is version 1, and obviously there's not a huge charging infrastructure. Yes, it's limited in distance, and the charging takes quite a while. For MY NEEDS, though, it's perfectly adequate. Obviously it's not adequate for everyone, but just wait a couple years. Battery technology is changing/improving on a daily basis, getting cheaper and more capacity, and charging technology is improving as well. Give it a couple years, and you'll see EVs with equivalent range and "refill" times as ICE vehicles.

Then I follow it up with getting them to drive it. THAT seems to get them hooked.

I had a co-worker that was completely uninterested in EVs. Just wasn't for him. Not really against them, just would never consider one for himself "since they're so limited." But he wanted to see what it was like, because after all it is a new car, and he is a guy, so he's interested just from a new car perspective. He wanted to take it around the block. 20 miles later, I had to tell him that we HAD to get back to the office, because I did have some work I needed to get done that day... He was totally hooked, loved the feel. His selling points: No transmission. No catalytic converter. No exhaust system. No noise. Amazing power at all speeds. And all in a vehicle that is a practical for family use. He's now sold, except the range is too limited for his uses (I could probably argue that, but he does drive a lot more than I do on a daily basis). But the experience has now shifted his focus from not at all being interested, to looking into the future EVs coming out and wanting one a few years down the road when they meet his needs.

So long story short, my talking points to get people interested are from a pure DRIVING standpoint, and getting them to see the light by letting them experience it first-hand.

other than posting figures showing that $15 of electricity in my Leaf gets me the same distance as $40 of gas in my 50 MPG Prius

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/blog.php?u=291&b=76

DarkStar said:

The Volt isn't a competitor, it's just a gateway drug to eventually going to all-electric drive!

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Brilliant... just brilliant!

Just tell them you never visit a gas station and that electricity is 100% a domestic product.

Talk to our leaf? That's crazy talk

But it DOES talk to me . . . . . there . . . . don't you hear it?

I don't "sell" to my friends' needs, I simply explain how well the car works for our family (wife uses car during work week for 50 mile roundtrip commute, family uses during weekend as our primary runabout). They can then connect the dots for themselves. Biggest issue so far has been that when my friends express serious interest, they are very frustrated by lack of availability (including not even being able to order at this point).

I let others start the conversation and ask the questions about whatever they want. Some people want to know about cost, others environment, performance, etc. I just provide enthusiastic factual answers to whatever questions they have. Don't worry about a canned presentation of the LEAF. If you just answer peoples questions honestly the car sells itself.