ericsf said:
Comply with what? The rule that says that technology can't be put on the market until it's proven and tested to work with every single possible person and use case? If that rule was enforced we'd all still be riding horses (which after all might not be a bad thing).
Engineers are the ones who can improve the technology and fuel progress. Not the lawyers. Lawyers serve a purpose, but not in technology. Patent trolls, class action lawsuits are impeding progress. Everything that Nissan has been upfront about regarding the battery (80% saves the battery, extreme heat voids the warranty, [EDIT] even showing the battery health of the dashboard) is now used AGAINST them... How can you possibly believe that suing them will encourage them to be more open?
IMO, all it will achieve (at best) is make the paperwork for new LEAF owners 2-3 pages longer with gibberish lawyer talk. I curse a lawyer every time I have to press on the Accept button when I start my LEAF. That's lawyer's contribution to society.
if it were so simple.
in my experience with dealing with the people who have the control over final products we enjoy, i find there are usually 3 controling entities. Engineering, Sales/Marketing and Finance.
the latter dictates to the other two and Finance is VERY closely in contact with legal. its usually Engineering lobbying to Finance what needs to be done and Finance putting up the fences to control the cost.
on the LEAF, cost control clearly the reason for the final product. I think Nissan Engineers warned finance and finance made a decision based on the lesser of several evils.
now, we can say Nissan put out a bad product that was widely predicted and be right in some circumstances and wrong in others. I have no real complaints. the LEAF is not perfect but i cant afford to even buy "very good" so the LEAF is a product that fits the needs of my limited income bracket.
not all can say that and this is no way saying the lawsuit is not justified but there is no perfect product and there will always be disgruntled owners.
but at the same time, there is a degree of expected reliability in a product and for automobiles, it is VERY high. this aint a cellphone that provide inconveniences in one's life for dropped calls "i was in the middle of an important sales call and probably just lost $1000 because of you!" (trust me, that phrase is repeated hundreds of times a day)
transportation (or lack thereof) can create disastrous consequences in nearly every phase of our lives even to the point of compromised safety and well being so they must be on a higher level.
but at the same time, there is a bit of expectation among many here that is unjustifiably high.
the language we have now is vague but understandable but having been involved with EVs much more than the average Joe, i might simply be taking too many already known assumptions for granted that a newer EV'er does not have.
Nissan commissioning Chelsea to investigate this is the right thing (albeit a bit late) thing to do
Great TV Show quotes;
From "Walking Dead" episode 6 season 1. from the lone occupant of the CDC in Atlanta musing over the impending loss of power to the center which would trigger a self destruct sequence
"The Whole World runs on fossil fuel. How dumb is that?"