Nissan’s EV plan Leaf batteries to power our homes
New Leaf showcases vehicle-to-grid technology as part of sustainable energy drive
Nissan is rolling out technology aimed at alleviating the strain on the national power grids caused by increasing sales of electric vehicles.
A major concern about the growth of EV sales is the effect it will have on power networks, massively increasing demand on systems that are already struggling to cope.
Instead of being part of the problem, however, Nissan believes that electric cars can be part of the solution, through the use of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology that effectively uses electric cars to store and distribute energy.
Nissan Energy Services chief Francisco Carranza told Autocar: “You cannot sell EVS without taking care that they’re actually bringing value to society. Being just a car company is no longer possible.
“It’s difficult for car companies to step out of their comfort zone and understand what the opportunities are. We are pretty focused about mobility, but electric vehicles open many doors beyond the car.”
Carranza said the experience of launching the original Nissan Leaf in 2010 has fuelled this approach: “At first, energy and distribution companies were worried because, if every car was charged at the same time, it was going to be a problem. This was a shock to us: we thought it [the Leaf] was a major breakthrough for society.”
Nissan’s solution to the extra demand that EVS place on a national grid has been to invest in developing V2G technology, along with the xstorage system. The xstorage device, developed with Eaton, turns old Leaf batteries into home energy storage units. When the battery’s capacity dips to about 80%, it can cause range issues in a car but is still able to power a family home for several days.
The batteries in xstorage and V2g-enabled cars can be used as extra capacity to smooth out energy demand issues. Carranza said: “The example we use is solar panels – they don’t produce electricity all the time. When there’s a cloud, you have a big drop in generation, which is disrupting if you have nothing else. You need something to filter that supply and create stability. That’s the role we’d like electric vehicles to take.”
That doesn’t mean that a national power company will drain the battery charge from your Leaf, leaving you unable to drive it. Grids will draw small amounts of power when there are spikes in demand – a similar concept to how data flows across the internet.
Most cars are stationary for most of the day so, if plugged in, EVS’ batteries could be used for V2G charging, and they can be programmed to ensure they are fully charged when needed.
If implemented widely, the system could reduce the need for energy infrastructure – estimates suggest that 20,000 EV batteries could store the equivalent of a 200MW power plant, which could supply up to 200,000 houses.
Nissan has been trialling the technology since 2016 in Denmark, the UK and other countries. In Denmark, the firm offered the system to fleet customers, who could ‘sell’ capacity back to the grid when not in use. Carranza said that, once the V2G charger had been paid for, those companies effectively received free energy.
Nissan and Ovo Energy will launch a V2G scheme in the UK when the first deliveries of the new Leaf are made in January 2018. Ovo says special tariffs will reward customers who use the technology, although these have yet to be disclosed. Ovo has also started offering customers xstorage units.
There are still challenges to V2G technology. The cost of a V2G converter has not been set, and drawing power from a car’s battery more frequently could affect its lifespan. It will also require investment in national grid infrastructure to efficiently manage the storage.
Carranza noted that changes are also required to energy regulations for V2G to fully succeed. He added that the UK government has been one of the most forward-looking in developing such a framework.
Other car firms including Mercedes and BMW are also investigating battery storage systems for the home, while Tesla already sells its Powerwall device.
Carranza said: “This goes beyond competition. If you sell electric cars like you have sold cars for the last hundred years, they will become a problem. But if you sell them as part of a smart ecosystem, they can be part of the solution.”
Carranza was talking at the European launch of the Leaf Mk2, which has a claimed 235-mile range. The car is now on sale, with a special launch edition priced at £26,490 (including government grant).
You cannot sell electric cars without taking care that they’re actually bringing value to society