> So, the question is, how do you get the public to see that properly
engineered smaller vehicles can be very safe?
Many times it's a lateral-thinking problem: not how to actually solve
the problem but to find the 'lever' that gets somebody else to either do
the work for you, or better yet, avoid the problem entirely: Nobody
ever said the Mazda Miata was safer, they said it was SEXIER.
EV's are just damn fun and relatively guilt-free. EV-grins are a
chronic condition for me even after 3 years: I'd rather go out in a
blaze of electrons than an SUV roll-over. Guaranteed I'll get more
press that way (appeal to vanity ;-) I'm not looking to replace
somebody's favorite gas burner. I'm out to replace it 99% of the time.
I *love* 1965 1/2 Cherry Red Mustangs with a white rag top, and I'm
sorry, if it doesn't growl and rumble when you press on the accelerator,
it ain't a 'stang. Someday I'll be able to buy one, and it'll stay ICE
and it will stay in the garage 99% of the time. There's little safe
about a 'stang or environmental, but I WANT it. Maybe you'll be able to
fake it well enough with acoustics by the time I'm able to acquire one
;-)
Changing people's perception is advertising/marketing problem. One of
the best TED Talks I've seen deals with perception change, it's Rory
Sutherland's "Life Lessons from an Ad Man". Love this talk, it's
hilarious and very appropriate in answer to your question here's a
snippet from the Interactive Transcript:
"How many problems of life can be solved actually by tinkering with
perception, rather than that tedious, hardworking and messy business of
actually trying to change reality? Here's a great example from history.
I've heard this attributed to several other kings, but doing a bit of
historical research it seems to be Fredrick the Great. Fredrick the
Great of Prussia was very very keen for the Germans to adopt the potato,
and to eat it. Because he realized that if you had two sources of
carbohydrate, wheat and potatoes, you get less price volatility in
bread. And you get a far lower risk of famine, because you actually had
two crops to fall back on, not one.
The only problem is: potatoes, if you think about it, look pretty
disgusting. And also, 18th century Prussians ate very, very few
vegetables -- rather like contemporary Scottish people. (Laughter) So,
actually, he tried making it compulsory. The Prussian peasantry said,
"We can't even get the dogs to eat these damn things. They are
absolutely disgusting and they're good for nothing." There are even
records of people being executed for refusing to grow potatoes.
So he tried plan B. He tried the marketing solution, which is he
declared the potato as a royal vegetable. And none but the royal family
could consume it. And he planted it in a royal potato patch, with guards
who had instructions to guard over it, night and day, but with secret
instructions not to guard it very well. (Laughter) Now 18th century
peasants know that there is one pretty safe rule in life, which is if
something is worth guarding, it's worth stealing. Before long, there was
a massive underground potato-growing operation in Germany. What he'd
effectively done is he'd re-branded the potato. It was an absolute
masterpiece."
The full 17 minutes is definitely worth a go at:
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/rory_sutherland_life_lessons_from_an_a
d_man.html
It seems we've a lot to learn from the Germans...
[email protected]
Rediscover the pleasure cruise and the joy ride: Drive Electric
Drive Electric: Because your car stinks.
-----Original Message-----
From:
[email protected] [mailto:
[email protected]] On
Behalf Of Collin Kidder
Sent: Monday, October 25, 2010 1:44 PM
To: Electric Vehicle Discussion List
Subject: Re: [EVDL] I Met Mr. Edison-2 the X-Prize winner!
>
> > I think that such a worry might be somewhat an American one. After
all,
> we
> > all drive SUVs and trucks here. So maybe it's just a matter of
> perspective.
>
> Except that SUVs and trucks are *not* the safest vehicles. Crash
> statistics show that sports cars, pickup truck, and SUVs have the
> *highest* fatality rates. Imported luxury cars, minivans, and other
> large cars have the lowest fatality rates.
>
>
That may very well be so and I don't doubt that it's true. However, when
talking about perception the truth isn't the end. A lot of people *feel*
like an SUV is safer and *feel* more unsafe in a small car. Obviously I
find
myself falling into this mindset even as I can see that actual rational
thought and discussion prove it to be false. This (along with the "I
need to
drive 300 miles on a charge") mindset is one of the biggest obstacles to
greater EV adoption. So, I feel that I should attempt to thoroughly rid
myself of the preconceptions about trucks being safe but also the public
mindset must change too. So, the question is, how do you get the public
to
see that properly engineered smaller vehicles can be very safe?
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