Yes

Thanks for the tip regarding the Michelin Tyres. I'll lok for those when the time comes for my LEAF. I just went past 17,000 miles yesterday.

Other than an intermittent passenger door speaker (which recently got replaced under warranty) I've had trouble free driving with my LEAF. Being the first generation LEAF and first year of manufacture I expected to be visiting the dealer often. It's great to see the reliability where it is in such an early model vehicle.

I have seen slight range degradation, it's hot in Tennessee (but nothing like what is experienced in AZ). I estimate about 8% degradation at 15 months.

Our local dealer Newton Nissan of Gallatin TN are already doing this. We took my wife's Altima in for its 30,000 service last month. She was offered and took a 2012 LEAF as a loaner for the day.

Newton Nissan have 2 LEAF's in their rental/loaner fleet now.

They see it as a way to generate interest in the LEAF. It's jolly convenient for the customer too, no need to bring the loaner vehicle back with the same amount of fuel.

It would be good to see Nissan push this idea nationally in the US.

Supplementing a grid tie system is great idea and gets us one step closer to Vehicle to Grid systems as well. One reason I don't like grid-tie is the fact that you lose power like everyone else even if your solar panels are generating current. This allows one to operate a grid-tie system like a grid fallback system, A correctly configured solar system could recharge the vehicle as it supplies energy to the home during an outage.

Tesla have also invested millions in the supercharger network.

Had just US manufacturers backed the SAE plug I think it would fail. The Germans make it interesting as it gives the SAE standard a foothold in Europe.

Several have taken Tom to task for suggesting there is a financial case for the LEAF. He got a much better deal than I did thanks to the CA credits, I can see how he will be finacially ahead of a gas car. I figured I'd break even after 6 years. Each person's break even point is different (different credits, different electric and gas costs, financing costs etc in each region.

To figure out if a LEAF makes sense for you or not use my spreadsheet to customize to your situation.

http://wp.me/p1sK3k-i

I received via mail a survey by JD Power and associates and completed it online. They gifted a fresh new dollar bill in the mailing. It seems the survey is for LEAF owners. Clearly Nissan are trying to get input from their customers. The were several open ended questions where one could write small paragraphs noting things you did or did not like about the LEAf. It took over 30 minutes to complete. My hourly rate wasn't too good for completing it :-)

Hopefully they will make genuine strides to improve what is basically a great car with a few drawbacks, the most worrying is of course the battery durability in warm/hot climates.

For me the car has been great. An extra 30 miles range would make all the difference. I.E. EPA range of 100 miles

A/C really isn't that taxing. They were over cautious with A/C. Driving up the hill gingerly say at 65 was all they needed to do.

I see the advisory board is global in reach which is quite a charge to take on. The board should have a diverse membership across the globe as a result of that.

I believe there are several important areas the board should work on.

1. Quick Charging. A global standard isn't available yet. Chademo/SAE/Tesla are all contenders. I believe quick charging is key to acceptance by the mainstream car owner to accept this technology.

2. Employer based level 2 charging. Many of the Level 2 units currently available in the US are installed at retail outlets where cars spend a fraction of their time. Employers need to be encouraged to adopt.

3. Transparent communications for issues with Nissan EV's. Early adopters need to be engaged not stiff armed

The high miles argument is faulty. How come those in the Pacific Northwest can add 40,000 per year and experience minimal degradation, while those in AZ with 19,000 miles are experiencing much more.

The answer is in front of us. It's heat. Not miles.

Clearly operating a vehicle while it is suffering from heat exhaustion will only make a bad situation worse, so yes miles do matter if the car is having a heatstroke.

Nissan are giving us half truths. hopefully they are just buying themselves time until they can engineer a remedy. That hope fades with each passing day.