With more than 147,000 all-electric Nissan LEAF vehicles on roads around the world, Nissan is researching ways to put some of the 3.6 million kilowatt hours of available battery storage to work in ways other than driving, adding more value for LEAF owners.
As part of a milestone project introduced by the U.S. Air Force and the California Energy Commission at Los Angeles Air Force Base, the U.S. Department of Defense is deploying 13 Nissan LEAFs in a vehicle-to-grid program, the first such program in the United States to include LEAF. Nissan LEAF will also be included in similar projects at other U.S. bases.
The new vehicle-to-grid project allows the Department of Defense to direct power to and from the electric grid with an aim to earn revenue and lower the total cost of ownership for a new fleet of plug-in vehicles.
“As the global leader in electric vehicle sales, Nissan is researching ways to integrate the all-electric LEAF into homes, buildings and power grids to unlock new value that could provide future benefits to customers, businesses and utility companies alike,” said Toby Perry, director of Marketing for Nissan LEAF. “With projects such as the Los Angeles Air Force Base fleet, Nissan can gather valuable insights to ensure that our vehicles are ready when similar programs are deployed by utilities or other entities on a larger scale.”
Nissan already has years of research connecting LEAF to power systems in homes and other buildings through its “LEAF to Home” power supply system in Japan. “LEAF to Home” allows LEAF owners to use their vehicle’s battery for backup power in an emergency, and Nissan is now working with a leading energy company in Japan, to study the role LEAF’s batteries can play in reducing peak power usage for homes and businesses.
