I have a fair amount of second-hand knowledge about AV quotes and acceptance rates. While you can't blame AV for late appointments, etc., the high quote prices ARE indeed AV's doing; the installers are getting reasonable amounts of money that are in line with market rates, and the installers do not come up with the quotes; AV is pocketing the difference. As near as I can tell, AV keeps $800-$1000 above what it cost for cash-and-carry installations (assuming a $750 equipment cost) for a standard ($2.2k) installation. In my own case, with a $4k installation quote, their "additional profit" would have been close to $2,000 above what independent electricans quoted me. I believe this "extra profit" was the carrot that Nissan dangled in front of AV to get them to run the program - $10-20m from consumers to get them interested in staffing up such a program. The assumption was that consumers wouldn't be all that price sensitive, thanks to Federal tax rebates. Of course, with hindsight, we know that most people (myself included) have questioned why it should cost so much to install a charger; Nissan's job of "preparing customers" to pay $2,200 or more has not stopped people from questioning and rejecting the quotes in large numbers, and trying to do better on their own.
I totally agree with the sentiment that Nissan should stop threatening customers that they'll invalidate their battery warranties, or won't be able to buy cars, unless they install a "Nissan Branded Charger", and install it through their monopoly service provider. Nissan should give AV a one-time payment to make up for the lost revenue, and then open things up to the free market. We can say this with hindsight, although there were a lot fewer companies that had UL-approved chargers on Nissan's original timeline, so it's hard to say that Nissan should have known not to do it this way from the start.
- Bob
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I might be mistaken about this also, but the complaints against AV reported here seem to be more a problem with local, "AV certified" electricians than the company itself. Aren't those local installers the ones coming up with the horrendously high bids? Delaying in revising them? Failing to show up when scheduled? Etc.? If so, I would imagine that AV isn't very happy with those individuals either, and I'm not sure we should blame the manufacturer because field reps are screwing up.
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The ultimate solution? I've said all along that EVSE manufacturers should just sell their wares via Lowe's, Home Depot, or Sears, and leave it up to the customer to have to deal with the installation according to local code. That is what happens when we purchase a 240V electric water heater, dryer, steam shower, or air conditioner, and I frankly don't see why an EVSE is any different. That is route Nissan should have pushed for from the getgo, IMHO.[/quote]