Nissan turns LEAF into drivable home generator
By Design Engineering Staff
General Automotive alternative energy electric vehicleAll electric car can power Japanese home for up to two days, company says.
Yokohama, Japan – Power outages or even brown outs are a serious pain, especially when you have to start looking at throwing out a refrigerator-full of food. As an added benefit of driving a “green” vehicle, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. has introduced a system that allows Nissan LEAF owners to power their homes with the electricity stored in the vehicle’s lithium-ion batteries.
The new system was unveiled today at Kan-kan-kyo, a demonstration house built in front of the Nissan Global Headquarters by Sekisui House Ltd. Through the system, the car essentially becomes an electricity storage device and hooks up to the house’s electricity distribution panel using a connector linked to the LEAF’s quick charging port. The connector complies with the CHAdeMO Association’s protocol for direct DC quick chargers and can also be used to charge the vehicle.
According to Nissan, the LEAF’s lithium-ion batteries can store up to 24kWh of electricity, sufficient to power an average Japanese household for about two days. The company says the system could also be used to store electricity at night when rates are cheaper and expend it during high load/higher cost daylight hours.
www.nissan-global.com
