YOKOHAMA, Japan — Japanese Nissan is testing a super way to recharge his green electric vehicle leaf using solar energy, part of a wider drive to improve the electricity storage systems.
Nissan Leaf went on sale late last year, but the automaker is looking forward for about five years time when aging vehicles leaf can offer alternative business opportunities in using their lithium ion batteries as a storage place for electricity.
Nissan Motor Corp. recognizes that, once the catch leaf, a flood of used batteries could result because the lifespan of a battery is longer than an electric vehicle.
Storage and production of electricity are drawing attention in Japan after the earthquake of 11 March and tsunami caused massive blackout in the northeast of the country. A nuclear power plant that went into meltdown, Fukushima Dai-ichi, after backup generators were destroyed by the tsunami, renewed fears about a power crunch.
The new charging system, shown to reporters Monday, electricity is generated through 488 solar cells installed on the roof of the headquarters building Nissan in Yokohama, southwest of Tokyo.
Four batteries from leaf had been placed in a box in a cellar-as part of the building and store electricity generated by solar cells, which is sufficient to fully charge leaf 1,800 vehicles a year, according to Nissan.
Although the interest is growing in renewable energy, like solar and wind power, a major challenge is the storage of electricity, which remains expensive without a breakthrough in battery technology.
This interest is likely to continue to grow because of concerns about the safety of nuclear power in Japan. Hamaoka nuclear power plant is shut down due to these concerns, and more may follow.
Other Japanese carmakers, including Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co., are working on similar projects, such as the solar hybrid connection with houses equipped as energy efficient communities, called "Smart grids".
Electric vehicles do not produce no pollution or gas heater, but need electricity, whose production is based mainly on oil or gas pollutants.
Even after a leaf is ready to be demolished, its battery is likely to have the 80 per cent of its capacity. On the plus side, the paper with its high-capacity battery can store the equivalent of two days of using electricity, Nissan said.
"What is important for Nissan is to show the solutions through EVS, step by step," said Corporate Vice President Hideaki Watanabe.
A joint venture with Sumitomo Corp. called 4R Energy Corp. plans to offer electricity storage systems like the one at the headquarters of Nissan business and public facilities such as a commercial product by 2016.
Nissan will also hopes to start selling these storage systems for regular homes from the fiscal year starting from April 2012. Will conduct field trials by December, 4R energy President Takashi Sakagami said.
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