Nissan’s Leaf is the best-selling EV of all time, but while most know that it is an affordable way to travel on battery power alone, it is a lesser known fact that it is also instrumental in diverting much-needed power to buildings and homes after natural disasters thanks to the marque’s V2G (Vehicle-to-Grid), or directly to electronic devices through V2X (Vehicle-to-everything) technology.
In Japan, Nissan has used the Leaf to provide emergency power and transportation following natural disasters since 2011, and the company has formed partnerships with more than 60 local governments to support disaster relief efforts.
The Re-Leaf is a reimagining of this popular electric hatchback – fully kitted out with more capable suspension, chunky off-road tyres and a powerful LED light bar on the roof. The working prototype is designed to provide a fully mobile power supply to aid the recovery process following natural disasters. The integrated energy management system can run medical, communications, lighting and other life-supporting equipment.
Dan Cooke, Operations Director at Serve On, the UK's leading organisation providing emergency search and rescue in natural disasters around the world, said of the concept; “When responding to a disaster, two critical factors that make all the difference are establishing communications, and staying hydrated. Situational awareness saves lives and running a ‘command and control’ centre allows us to get the real picture of what’s happening whilst the infrastructure gets back online, but that needs power.
“Seeing the Re-Leaf is really exciting, because we love exploring new ideas to see what’s possible. Looking back to previous scenarios we’ve dealt with, this technology could have made a real difference. For example being able to power multiple filtration devices to produce thousands of litres of drinking water – essential in our line of work.”
Other additions to Nissan’s rescue vehicle include a bespoke pull-out desk that extends from the boot with a 32-inch LED screen and dedicated power supply, creating an operational hub to run communications from and manage the recovery process.
External 110 to 230-volt plug sockets also allow devices to be powered from the car’s high-capacity lithium-ion battery. These could run an electric jack hammer or an intensive care medical ventilator for 24 hours, should the Re-Leaf’s batteries be fully charged when it arrives on the scene.
Nissan says that this is merely a working prototype for now, but it hopes the concept could help provide bespoke solutions to numerous emergency and disaster relief services in the future.
Keyword: Nissan reveals Re-Leaf concept: a tough mobile power source to help in disaster management situations