Nissan LEAF owners are vocal in their support of zero-emission mobility with an active Internet presence
- Active Internet forums unite LEAF owners
- Feedback from owners influenced New LEAF improvements
- LEAF has highest customer satisfaction levels of any Nissan
- CarWings rear world data used to optimise New LEAF
After spending too long in the dark fumbling with plugs and sockets when trying to recharge their cars at night, Nissan LEAF owners started complaining.
Their comments were published on a number of global internet forums and quickly came to the attention of Nissan itself. But rather than ignore the issue, the company tackled it head-on.
“One example of feedback from our owners, was that customers were often plugging cars in at night and sometimes in unlit areas” said Gary Ingham Regional Product Manager for the New LEAF. “We have made that easier with New LEAF by installing a small but powerful LED light in the charging bay.”
By monitoring forums and blogs from across the globe with popular sites established in the US, UK, Netherlands and Norway, Nissan has been able to take on board suggestions for future generation EVs. The company also holds regular owner gatherings country by country, events which are invariably oversubscribed.
Owners, meanwhile, benefit from page after page of discussion about all aspects of LEAF ownership. There are sections devoted to tips and hints – covering everything from the best way of wrapping a power cable after use to the best Apps to use - as well as discussions about getting the most from the battery.
Owners use the forums as a place to voice feedback of all kinds, and it’s evident that drivers are more than happy with LEAF: the model enjoys the highest customer satisfaction rating of any Nissan model, with a ‘score’ of 93 per cent.
As well as gaining feedback from personal contact and face-to-face meetings, Nissan has been able to collect data via the car’s advanced CarWings telematics technology. Although gathered with permission from the owners, the data is used anonymously.
CarWings gives owners the ability to control aspects of day-to-day ownership such as pre-heating the cabin or charging the battery remotely using a smartphone. CarWings logs all this data as well as information of charging, usage patterns and journey times and distances.
Now that LEAF has been on sale for more than two years, such information creates a realistic snapshot of how customers use their cars which has allowed Nissan to optimise New LEAF in line with real world usage.
Source; Living with the Nissan Leaf
