Nissan to Test Replenishing U.K. Power Grid With EVs

LONDON – Nissan will test its first U.K. vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology using a fleet of 100 reversible charging units sending surplus power to the region’s Nation Grid electricity system.

The units will be installed at locations agreed upon by both private and fleet owners of the Nissan Leaf all-electric vehicle and e-NV200 electric van. Participants will earn cash credits on surplus power provided by their vehicles to the energy grid.

The automaker claims that, once scaled up, the project in partnership with international energy provider Enel Group could turn EV owners into major power providers for the U.K. energy market.

Nissan estimates if all the vehicles on U.K. roads were EVs, V2G technology could generate a virtual power plant of up to 370 GW – enough to power Germany and France as well as the U.K.

“Smart energy management is one of the biggest challenges any nation faces for the future, which is why this trial is so critical in assessing the feasibility of using variable, more flexible energy sources,” says Paul Willcox, chairman of Nissan Europe. “We see Nissan electric vehicles as being the mobile energy hubs of the future, pioneering a self-sustaining energy infrastructure that will help solve the capacity issues of the future.

“This is the first time this has ever been done in the U.K., and by enabling customers to sell energy back to the grid we’re providing a financial incentive to choose the sustainable option.”