Getting more potential EV drivers into the i-MiEV

I've been exploring ways to get more drivers into the i-MiEV and here's what I've come up with so far:

* Posting about the experience of owning and driving an electric car in various places, mostly on Google+ where I've created a Community for i-MiEV drivers
* Offering rides to friends and neighbours through DrivingElectric, on mailing lists and in person
* Signing up with SideCar to rideshare with people who weren't expecting a ride in an EV
* Listing the car on RelayRides so that people may rent it out themselves

What are other ways of increasing awareness and sharing the EV grin that y'all use?

A note on the subject of the G+ community, I find the use of this forum by phone and tablet to be quite tedious. I'm glad that the forum exists but I tend to contribute mostly through a device with a large screen and a non-mobile browser. The search feature is also far nicer: I couldn't search this forum for ["side car"] because those were common words (even when quoted).

the search on this forum is well... I'll leave it at that. Try instead side + car
something I learned along the way. [edit] tried that and that didn't work either. Well the search really stinks on this forum.

I post on car review sites. The Leaf and the re-Volt-ing both have far more owner's reviews on Edmunds and Cars.com than the i MiEV does. I also give test rides to friends and neighbors and sometimes to strangers on the street, as long as its broad daylight

leec, thank you for creating your site on Google+. Despite the urging of many friends, I've resisted Google+ for a long time, but the iMiEV drove me to it... :roll:

Inasmuch as I often engage in conversations with bystanders about the iMiEV, if I have the time I offer them a ride ... to say people are gobsmacked is an understatement, as their expectations are that the iMiEV is at the level of a golf cart :!: Complement the acceleration by explaining how easily an iMiEV can go well over 150 miles (240km) in a day at 2.5¢/mile and can zoom along at 80mph (130km/h) and you can see their eyes opening It's all about changing perceptions...

But to lead, sometimes we must leave others behind.

Last evening, I pulled alongside a Jeep Patriot and it's heavily tattooed driver at a red light, and gave him quite a surprise when it turned green, as evidenced by his wide open throttle blast past when I let off at the 45 mph speed limit. This was repeated at the next light, with his over-eagerness evidenced by a complete loss of traction at the line. After this humiliation, he blasted away, not to be seen again. I'm sure he saw my Seattle EV Assoc sticker, and hope that he experienced a little paradigm shift in the process.

I then pulled into a Pep Boys to pick up some mud flaps (will try to blog that installation), and the beanpole kid behind the counter was interested, so I let him try out the driver's seat. His eyes lit up when I relayed the preceding anecdote.

JoeS said:

leec, thank you for creating your site on Google+. Despite the urging of many friends, I've resisted Google+ for a long time, but the iMiEV drove me to it... :roll:

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If you want to maintain some level of anonymity/pseudonymity on G+, create a minimal profile and then make a page ("Yet Another EV Driver" or whatever you wish). I have a few of these which I keep disconnected from my personal G+ account insofar as I don't comment on my own threads with them. Please let me know if you have any other concerns via reply or PM. (disclaimer: I work at Google)

MLucas said:

the search on this forum is well... I'll leave it at that. Try instead side + car
something I learned along the way. [edit] tried that and that didn't work either. Well the search really stinks on this forum.

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One may work around this to a degree with site specific search on Google: [site:myimiev.com Side Car]

jray3 said:

But to lead, sometimes we must leave others behind.

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Bravo! Zero to sixty times are far more significant for aggressive driving when measured in kilometers per hour.

I know there's a degree of machismo in my own EV exploits doing long distance drives to Portland, blasting around the passes or driving out to Wenatchee with the other US-2 rally drivers. Hopefully I can sway some people who are on the fence about buying an EV because of anxiety around range and performance. I certainly don't hope to convert everyone, but wish to speed adoption by every possible means.

My first post.
Purchased a MiEV last week, love it, but I'll try to stay on topic.
The biggest resistance, or perception, is 'range anxiety' that an electric vehicle creates. The reality is that most people could use the MiEV as a second vehicle in the Grand Rapids, Mi. area. I think I might be the first or second MiEV in the area! Electric cars are rare here but more and more charging stations are coming online locally to promote the concept. I'm trying to promote the MiEV via my FaceBook account.

Applewins said:

The reality is that most people could use the MiEV as a second vehicle in the Grand Rapids, Mi. area.

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Okay, off topic - but you may be right on being one of the few in that town. My hometown is GR - my whole family still lives there. I grew up on the North End, used to work at the Kent Country Club when I was a kid shining shoes and polishing Gerald R. Ford's golf locker with the Presidential Seal on it. I was there when the GRF Presidential Museum opened and attended the very first Arts Festival. I'll probably be making a trip back this summer at the earliest - we'll have to connect when I do.

Not sure how you would get the MiEV down here, but if you do, I'll give you a free charge. in the summer I ride my motorcycle almost exclusively. Suzuki B-king, oh yea.

Applewins said:

My first post. Purchased a MiEV last week, love it, but I'll try to stay on topic. The biggest resistance, or perception, is 'range anxiety' that an electric vehicle creates. The reality is that most people could use the MiEV as a second vehicle in the Grand Rapids, Mi. area. I think I might be the first or second MiEV in the area! Electric cars are rare here but more and more charging stations are coming online locally to promote the concept. I'm trying to promote the MiEV via my FaceBook account.

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Applewins, welcome to this Forum. What many of us have found is that the iMiEV quickly became the family's primary vehicle, with the ICE car relegated to long-trip use. If I may suggest, you might consider updating your online profile to include your city and state for all to see. We'd love to hear about the iMiEV's performance in the snow, especially on the stock "all-season" LRR tires.

Applewins said:

Not sure how you would get the MiEV down here, but if you do, I'll give you a free charge. in the summer I ride my motorcycle almost exclusively. Suzuki B-king, oh yea.

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I probably wouldn't be bring the i with me, take my spouses Nissan Versa. I sold my bike this last spring after we adopted a little one. He liked to get up on the bike while it was on the paddock stand and all I could see is one day that would come over on him. So, I gave up the bike and the associated cost that went with it and used the money to buy the Mitsubishi i. I miss the road on the bike but I kept getting a gnawing feeling that I was using gas for recreation which I wanted to reduce. After adopting, I realized I had no time for the bike anyways and I'd rather have my son. Maybe in the future if battery technology improves enough, I'll get an electric motorcycle.

JoeS said:

We'd love to hear about the iMiEV's performance in the snow, especially on the stock "all-season" LRR tires.

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That will be me, too - Joe. I'm not upgrading the tires for the six weeks of winter we get around here. Thanks to global warming, winter in the Niagara Region doesn't start well into January and is pretty much done with by mid-March with periods of warming/melting throughout. Then we get one last blast in April and we are done. Last year we didn't use the snow shovel but once or twice. Still looking like a green christmas this year.

leec said:

What are other ways of increasing awareness and sharing the EV grin that y'all use?

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To respond to your question, I've submitted several remote charging station locations to web sites. For the Recargo.com web site, I've submitted the 4 closest sites that show up when searching for 61108 zip code (as of this posting). I also submitted the dealership where I bought the car in McHenry, IL. I have used a couple of the sites to recharge for the purpose of being able to submit positive feedback about the locations.

At a minumum, to increase awareness, each owner could also verify if the dealership they purchased from is listed on the Recargo.com site. Supporting the information on other sites such as Plugshare, Chargepoint, or others should also benefit the potential EV buyers.

It would also be nice if the remote charging station owners and the media agree that installing the sites was not just a waste of money because the ESVEs are sitting idle. Sending an email of appreciation to the station owners (especially if the charging is free) with a photo of your car plugged in would reinforce their decision to keep existing sites. The photo could get used on their website or in a newsletter. That publicity could be the extra recognition that is the tipping point for another buyer.

Until I get my i in March, I've put banners in the back windows of my current car. They are on the site linked below. On the drivers side, I have "My next car: No plug? No Deal!" and "Fed up with gas prices? Electric Cars! ...For a change". On the passenger side, for visibility, I only have the "Fed up with gas prices? Electric Cars! ...For a change." I more or less did this out of frustration from campaign ads, but I have decided to keep them and transfer them to the i when I get it. The more I think about it, I should put QR codes on there as well to advertise the i. I found a spec sheet online for the i which I am updating with current specs and pricing, and it will have a QR code link to my new website. This will be put on the i, as well. This new site is designed to detail information on the i, and it will include links to this forum, Mitsubishi's main site, and others. There will also be an FAQ section, as well as the environmental CO2 savings of driving electric, including data comparing coal and natural gas-powered electricity to only gasoline's tailpipe emissions, the same comparison including gasoline's electricity usage, and renewably-powered electric to both counts of gasoline. This compares the worst to the worst, best to the best, and the best to the worst.

Other than that, I talk to people about the i, correcting misconceptions as I hear them.


http://www.pluginamerica.org/take-action/promotional-materials