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Dick of the Week – Damian Christie
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9

Are you an idiot?

by Whaleoil on May 24, 2012

ᔥ Sydney Morning Herald

This is the question Nissan is really asking….Are you an idiot?

Some customers have “failed” a Nissan test to see if they were suitable for the new Leaf electric car.

Nissan has knocked back some customers interested in purchasing its first electric car, the Leaf, because they have been deemed “unsuitable” for ownership.

The plug-in electric vehicle officially hits the market on June 1, but interested customers need to pass a two-stage approval test before being issued with a certificate that will allow them to purchase the $51,500 car from one of Nissan’s special EV dealerships.

The test involves answering five questions about their intended usage for the car, followed by a visit from Nissan’s electrical supplier Origin Energy for an assessment of the suitability of the customer’s home electrical network.

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  • Trade Me Trev

    Yes I am a complete idiot

  • Mully

    Well, TBH, I think it’s better to tell them now than to face the flood of complaints from people who don’t use them properly and then bitch to the papers that their EV doesn’t perform as described.

  • Gazzaw

    Clever marketing. Make it appear as though not everyone can have one is just the sort of ploy that the Aussies will fall for.

    From a consumer point of view of course the home wiring needs checking out particularly older properties.

  • Rockfield

    We are talking Australia here aren’t we …..  I don’t see any problem.

    R.

  • Sheppy

    Maybe one of the questions was:
    How long does it take to refuel:
    a)less than 5 minutes (like a normal car)
    b)less than 1 hour
    c)many hours

    • Alloytoo

      You’ve hit the nail on the head.
       
      Most of us choose (or should choose to) to buy vehicles which are best suited to our primary needs.
       
      Farmer buys UTE, tradesman a van, student a small hatch.
       
      In a pinch these vehicles can stretch to serve other needs. The hatch can carry firewood, not as well as the UTE, but it can. The UTE can be used for a long trip (Abet uncomfortably).
       
      The electric car cannot do this, it can only perform the primary function, and it cannot take deviations from schedule due to refueling issues.

      • Admin

        -snip-

        it can only perform the primary function 

        -snip-

        …which is to make the owner look like a poorly informed, pious wanker. And in this regard, the Nissan is peerless.

  • AnonWgtn

    What happens in a power cut when you are charging. You cannot go to work presumably.
    If you live on the West Coast and your new power source hydro dam has been cancelled.
    When you ar driving and say caught in traffic sufficienntly and you run out of power who do you call to recharge your batteries – is it covered by AA.
    What is the cost of renewing your batteries.
    In a Prius I understand it can be as much as $6,000 which includes disposal costs.

  • Butts_McButts

    Now now, the Nissan Leaf’s battery can be recharged by sticking it in first and towing it backwards behind a ute. It’s been done :P  

    The Leaf actually has some engineering merit, unlike the wanky old Prius’ – incidentally the C offers some decent mileage without looking like a shit heap. The Leaf has a rubbish interior but hopefully they’ll realise people want normal looking cars.

    Incidentally, check out the IBM 500 mile battery project. EVs may be pokey and limited to 160 km at the moment, but they’ll get a hell of a lot better soon enough.

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