Electric cars are inevitable, but they’re only a part of the solution to our transport problem. Alongside new zero-emissions EVs, cities will also need ample charging infrastructure and other advances for electric vehicles to truly be a success. To tackle these issues on the periphery, Nissan has just unveiled Car and Beyond, a new roadmap that is a considered answer to the rise of EVs.
As you’d expect, Nissan’s vision of the future is led by the latest version of its Leaf EV – but everything around the new car is equally innovative.
Growing the infrastructure
First, and most importantly, Nissan is promising to increase its European CHAdeMO charging network by 20% over the next year and a half. That should see the amount of chargers go from 4,600 to 5,600. It’s not a huge increase, or a huge amount to start with – but it’s a sign that Nissan realises the importance of infrastructure.
The Japanese company also unveiled more significant developments to its home charger systems, arguably where the majority of Leaf owners will be topping up. Nissan says a new double-speed 7kW charger will allow Nissan EV owners to achieve 100% charge in just five-and-a-half hours – a 70% time reduction compared to the previous generation. The Japanese company will also be rolling out a 22kW unit capable of fully charging an EV in just two hours, and although it’s aimed at fleet owners and business owners, Nissan says it will also be available to consumers.
However the most intriguing part of Nissan’s roadmap deals with home storage and vehicle-to-grid charging.
Rolling out vehicle to grid
Nissan has unveiled a home battery solution that features an integrated charger for electric cars. At its heart, the new battery solution will feature the same technology as Nissan’s successful xStorage home battery, but it also features a socket for charging an EV. That means you can charge your EV directly from a sustainable energy source, and because it also contains a battery, it will work during power cuts. Nissan showed a concept version of the new unit at its Nissan Future , and says there’ll be a production unit coming at the end of the year.
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Alongside the new unit, Nissan has also fleshed out details of its long-touted home- or vehicle-to-grid technology. This allows those with solar panels to sell energy when national demand for energy is high – during the day – but then buy it for less when demand is lower. That means those with a home battery or new Leaf get to save the planet, and get paid for it too.
The xStorage plan
Right now there’s only one way to take part. Nissan has teamed up with OVO in the UK to sell xStorage batteries to UK customers, and the Japanese company says those that use the new system properly will be able to make around £350 per year selling energy back to the grid. Interestingly, OVO CEO and founder, Stephen Fitzpatrick, says OVO will manage the use of the batteries for each customer – so xStorage owners won’t directly control how electricity much is bought and sold by the grid.
However, Nissan is also working on technology that will allow Leaf owners to sell energy, as well. The new EV features bidirectional charging, and when used in conjunction with a forthcoming home storage box, Nissan Leaf users will be able buy and sell energy just like those with the xStorage system.
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