Powering the Home, with your Car

During a stop at the Nissan Automotive Technology Centre today we were witness to a concept to power your home, using your car battery.

We were taken into the car park of this huge complex, as you walk through the lights above you glow brighter thanks to some nifty sensors and eventually we saw six Nissan Leaf electronic vehicles plugged into charging bays. So far, fairly normal.

From here we began to hear about Vehicle to the Home (V2H) or Vehicle to the Business (V2B)systems whereby your electric car, while parked at work or at home could provide power to your building and then recharge through solar or off the grid during off-peak times. The vehicle could also act as a back-up resource incase of a power outage.

The concept is new for Nissan and so far six bays have been installed with this V2B technology. Currently, employees are parking their cars in these bays and during peak use times, around lunch, the vehicles are being used to reduce the amount of power required from the grid. After some time, the vehicles are recharged from solar to ensure they leave with 100% charge again.

This technology is looking to be rolled out and could cost around $5000, something which would have a duration of time before it entirely pays off. The best part from where we see it is that this technology is perfect for back-up power. Such a simple way to make better use of the electronic vehicle sitting in your garage (one day).