OSLOW (Norway): Nissan is about to kickstart its ‘2.ZERO’ plans for the second decade with an aim to help increase adoption of zero emissions mobility for the masses.
“Nissan kick-started the electric vehicle revolution almost a decade ago. In that time we’ve sold more EV’s than any other manufacturer on the planet. Now, we’re outlining our plans for the next decade, which will see even bigger investments in infrastructure, new battery advances and will even change the way people access and pay for the power in their cars,” said Nissan Europe chairman Paul Willcox.
The Japanese carmaker is now looking to expand Norway’s – largest the European market for zero emissions vehicles, with the unveiling of an expanded range of home and office chargers.
Such chargers include a new 7kW double-speed charger for the home and a 22kW charger for businesses as well as a 100% renewable energy storage and charging unit.
The double speed 7kW home charger allows Nissan electric vehicle (EV) owners to achieve 100% charge in just 5.5 hours – a 70% reduction in charging time from the previous charging technology.
As for the 22kW charger, it is capable of charging a Nissan EV in just 2 hours and is predominantly targeting fleet and business owners. The charger can also be purchased by consumers.
A new home energy storage system was also showcased, which follows on from the success of xStorage that was created specially for EV owners where customers can plug in their EV directly into the wall box to charge.
This comes with its own built in energy storage system, giving customers the ability to better manage their energy costs and even generate their own electricity from solar panels, delivering 100% renewable and zero emission power for their car.
Ultimately, the company aims to boost its fast charger infrastructure network by 20%, with 1,000 quick charger installations – from 4,600 to 5,600, over a span of 18 months with the company’s ground-breaking bi-directional charging technology.
The bi-directional charging system will allow customers to draw energy from the grid to power their car or van and then ‘sell’ back to the grid for others to use.
This means, once a nominal charge has been paid by the business for the installation of a V2G charger there are no fuel or energy costs – just free power for EVs.
Other than Denmark, the company also announced that it is collaborating with the UK so that customers who purchase an xStorage home energy unit at a discounted price are able to also ‘sell’ back energy to the grid.
This helps contribute to grid stability in a world where demand for energy is increasing due to a growing, urbanising population and can result in an additional expected income for users averaging £350 / €400 (RM2,000) per year.
The company also further outlined its plans to expand its existing CHAdeMO EV fast charging standard for outdoor charging networks by 20% over the next 18 months. There are currently over 4,600 quick chargers across the region.
There exists additional plans to invest in supporting the installation of the 1,000 chargers over the next 18 months on highways, in towns, and throughout key European cities.
It follows the success of Nissan’s existing xStorage solution, which was developed in partnership with Eaton and has sold more than 1,000 units across Europe in just three months, with 5,000 units expected to be sold by the end of March 2018.
The company expects to sell 100,000 home energy units by the end of 2020 in Europe and the new range of home and office charging units will be available from early 2018 onwards.
Nissan is already exploring other regions in Europe to make free power for EVs a milestone for the future.
The company’s announcements were made during its third Nissan Futures event – ‘The Car and Beyond’, that was recently held in Oslow, Norway.
Headlining the Nissan Futures 3.0 event was the European premiere of the new Nissan Leaf, with a special ’2.ZERO’ version for Europe.
The new Leaf is capable of travelling 378km on a single charge and possesses features such as the semi-autonomous ProPILOT system, ProPILOT Park or ease of parking and e-Pedal (a single pedal for braking and accelerating).
Another new product was announced during the event with the re-introduction of the all-electric e-NV200 with an added 100km range to 280km on a single – a 60% improvement on range, without having to increase the size or weight of the battery.
“With fewer emissions, our cities and air will be cleaner. With more intelligent safety features, car accidents would be reduced dramatically. With better connections between vehicles and their surroundings, the school run or daily commute will no longer be clogged with traffic. And by letting people charge their vehicle and their home from each other, we can use our time and energy supplies more efficiently than ever,” added Willcox
Keyword: Nissan plans second wave of electric ecosystem