"Game Layer on Top of the World": Nissan Leaf's Driving Karma System | Hacker News Reader

"Game Layer on Top of the World": Nissan Leaf's Driving Karma System

green.autoblog.com

37 pointsliuhenry14 comments

There's anecdotal evidence that Prius users were already making a game of "beating their (mileage efficiency) high score." Nice example of Nissan taking this phenomenon and applying a competitive layer. As a next step, they should let these Leaf owners take on a userID, opening up marketing and promotional possibilities.

The game / sport of trying to max out fuel efficiency (even with gas only cars) is known as hypermiling.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypermiling

http://www.edmunds.com/fuel-economy/hypermiling-quest-for-ul...

Wow. I had no idea it was such a movement (no pun...okay, maybe a little).

My friend drives a Prius and I can confirm this.

This has the ability to be huge. Exchange points for gas discounts or off maintenance? Lots of other potentially game changing things could be added to the game mechanics of an automobile platform.

Brilliant. Similar to another comment when I first got my Prius I played with along with the metrics and still do occasionally. But, I felt like I unlocked all the rewards.

Separate player tags would be awesome and could be accomplished with fobs or sign-ins. Or perhaps you just register your high scores?

For more in-depth configuration you could include wifi access and a browser portal to set up drivers or post to your facebook wall. OK, ok it could go downhill quickly. :)

Imagine getting into your car and having it decked out as a fully operational 80's arcade console. Wood paneling, quarter slots and a big red 'Start' button.

I'd love to see Toyota embedding user accounts on the wireless key fobs and having the car customize itself to the user. Say if it's night time it should know I like the interior lights turned down to about half brightness. With the user accounts they can then track points that the user can then exchange for certain things. If I can take the Prius on a road trip and in the end cash in points I get for a discount at the hotel I stay at. That would be pretty awesome.

I wonder if this even has to be a car company. Why not a mobile app company that uses a Bluetooth module on the ODBII port to get info on the vehicle, MPG, and driving style. Then uses that data to reward points.

Nissan has done a fantastic job with the leaf experience from beginning to end. Good website, good product, excellent marketing and now efficiency "achievements". It's something us HNer's could really learn from.

Also the leaf website is fantastic (http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car) and won a ton of awards for "best flash website" even though the intro video is the only flash, and the rest is HTML & SVG.

Reminds me of this video: http://g4tv.com/videos/44277/DICE-2010-Design-Outside-the-Bo... (relevant part more towards the end, but it's all good)

Well, I guess "Achievement Unlocked: Drank Pepsi 5 Days in a Row" is where we're heading after all. I, for one, know that this has potential to change the way I go about my day-to-day life.

Game design guru Michael John posted an ode to the game sensibilities of the Prius when it was (ahem) the only game in town:

http://www.methodgames.com/methodblog/files/archive-4.html#u...

All you need to make a game is a feedback loop with some challenge (an implied reward) for the user. With the Leaf, the challenge is a lot more explicit, but any number representing performance quality is challenge enough.

Fuel efficiency metering is a great example of this, and also of gentle teaching which inspires users to become more passionate.

When Scvngr CEO Seth Priebatsch presented the concept of the layer I was so elated at the clarity of the idea. Everything in life is a game, and when business embraces it properly it's a win for everyone. A game creates group think, competition and a rare unarticulated desire for success.

What's sexy for business is the idea that by presenting a gaming layer on their product line is that it allow you're product to become a platform. You're not selling me a iPhone, you're selling me Angry Bird, Scrabble, Plants Vs Zombies.

I think that hacking the human internal reward systems to produce desired behavior is awesome. I'm just afraid that a hundred years from now we'll end up like everyone on that episode of STTNG where an addictive game was used to take over the ship.

prius drivers already seem awful, I can't help but think it's because they're rolling along monitoring their fuel consumption on the dash rather than watching the damn road.

HA! voted down for insulting prius drivers? I can only assume the down voters are equally innumerate.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com