Nissan has received U.S. approval for its first bi-directional charging system for its Leaf electric vehicle. The FE-15 charger from Fermata Energy can power buildings from the battery of an electric vehicle, charge it and send the stored energy back to the grid. It is the first system of its kind to receive UL 9741 certification for bi-directional charging solutions.
Back in 2012, Nissan promised that an electric car would be able to share its stored energy charge with the owner’s home or the grid during peak hours or even during emergencies. This technology is commonly known as Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G), Vehicle-to-Home (V2H), and Vehicle-to-Load (V2L). All of these solutions can be used interchangeably to describe a system that converts electric vehicles into a backup power plant.
With the new system, Leaf owners can “create added value with the energy stored in the car’s battery.” It is noted that the charger can help reduce the total cost of ownership of an electric vehicle by allowing the building to receive energy from it during peak hours. In addition, this approach can help reduce the load on the power system.
All 2013 and newer Nissan Leaf vehicles are approved for use with the FE-15 Bidirectional Charger. This does not change the warranty conditions for the battery. To take advantage of bi-directional charging, Leaf owners will need a CHAdeMO fast charging port, which is sometimes not standard.
Note that some other automakers also offer bi-directional charging. For example, the Ford F-150 Lightning all-electric truck is available with Intelligent Backup Power . At the same time, Tesla is looking to sell standalone PowerWall backup devices .
Source: The Verge
