LEAF qualification includes Customer Journey

Potential owners of Nissan's plug-in LEAF vehicle will have to qualify before they're allowed to buy, an important point motoring.com.au has reported earlier. But the tests aren't meant to be onerous; rather, they are designed to establish whether or not an electric vehicle like the LEAF will be a good fit for your household.

Nissan takes potential owners through five steps, starting either online via its model range specifications offered at its website or during dealer-customer interaction. The steps include a 'reserve now' questionnaire ascertaining private or business use; usual travel distance; driving type (dependent on surrounds and average speed) and where the car will be parked.

The latter question establishes how easy or not it will be for energy providers (in our case, Origin) to install a charge point and the daily travel query determines whether the LEAF will serve the buyer's average transport needs. Interestingly, the final question is which colour (from a choice of five) you'd like to reserve for your LEAF... All quite innocuous.

A Nissan representative will contact you within five business days after a reservation, followed by a visit from an installer employed by Origin to assess your home's suitability for a charge dock. The assessment is free of charge to the prospective owner.

The third step covers the owner's preferred options and type of charging point, while the fourth stage involves the installation of the dock. After installation, you pay for your LEAF and go.

The LEAF 'reserve now' process is an online version of what a customer can expect at a Nissan dealership. What the trade calls a qualified customer can extend to any model, explained Nissan spokesman Jeff Fisher. A prospective Patrol customer, for example, will be asked if he/she really needs that model for travel tasks "like a school run when they could be better off with the Micra".

The Customer Journey program is similar to Nissan's treatment of its GT-R owners. Nissan takes its customers through the care and maintenance aspects of the sports car, especially if they use it on track a lot (as many do, according to Fisher), to prepare them for what to expect rather than expose them to shock on prices for replacement parts if they use it as a quasi race car, he said.

Not everyone can have a LEAF. Obviously if you're travelling over 130km a day, forget it, and if you don't have a garage or carport, the energy provider can't install a charge point.

The Nissan LEAF will be released next month. In the meantime, interested buyers can go online to make a cost and obligation free reservation at nissan.com.au

Would an all-electric vehicle like Nissan's LEAF suit your transport needs? These are the LEAF reservation questions:
Step 1: vehicle use
Will your Nissan LEAF be registered for business or private use?
Private.
Business.
Salary Package / Novated Lease.

Step 2: distance
How far do you drive on a normal day?
150km+
120km
100km
70km
50km
Less than 20km

Step 3: driving type
What type of driving do you normally do?
Short commutes around the suburbs.
Congested traffic, peak hour driving, average speeds less than 50kph.
Longer drives - predominantly highway or freeway driving with prolonged speeds above 85kph.

Step 4: parking
Where will you park your Nissan LEAF at night?
On the street or in an uncovered space that I do not own (eg. a building with common parking area).
Under an awning or carport that I own.
Under an awning or carport that I do not own.
In a garage or carpark under a strata plan (including apartments and units) that I do not own.
Inside my garage which is attached to my house.
Inside my garage that is detached from my house.

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