A story in the Western Australian Newspaper shows Nissan are demonstrating how ultimately automotive batteries will help stabilise the grid and also save money for their users.
Smart meters
Everyone in the industry has known the great potential battery powered vehicles have to aid the grid system by providing storage and energy capacity at times of need.
Of course, this process requires a number of features to be in place at one moment, perhaps the most fundamental of these is a “Very Smart Charger” (VSC), opposed to many chargers masquerading as “Smart” that are basically one step up from a dumb charger, even if some are upgradeable.
There has also been many announcements from Nissan regarding Wallbox and other partnerships, for instance with EON utilising V2G here in the UK and Europe.
Bi-directional Charging
You also need to have a battery capable of bi-directional charging / discharging, and of particular interest to the end -user, is ensuring its covered by the manufacturers warranty. .
In the case of Nissan the battery on the eNV200 ( and the Leaf but we are commercial vehicle people here!) is bi-directional and covered by the warranty so to demonstrate the probably unforeseen practical advantages of owning a battery electric van, they have very cleverly given users a glimpse into the future.
Nissan eNV200 pays for parking
Unforeseen, because many buyers of the eNV200 would, I suggest, be looking at the zero emission ( bumper to bumper) and lower total operating costs as their main reasons for purchase, not appreciating it was also a giant battery on wheels with all that entails.
Claimed to be a world first, Nissan have opened a new exhibition pavilion in their home town of Yokohama and visitors can “pay” for parking by allowing the discharging of their vehicles battery pack via the bi-directional cable.
In fact the café at the pavilion is also powered solely via Nissan vehicle battery packs utilising the Vehicle2Grid (V2G) capabilities, so basically they become part of the buildings electric power infrastructure.
Of course, there are also many other uses but this at least will help many understand the secondary benefits of a BEV! No big surprise to many, but perhaps a glimpse of the future for some!