EV manufacturer Nissan says South Australia‘s Tesla big battery is wasteful compared to its solar-equipped Nissan Leaf, which doubles as home battery storage.
Nic Thomas, global head of Nissan’s electric vehicles, was speaking to auto resource The Driven as the all-electric 40 kWh Leaf debuted in Melbourne.
Nissan claims the Leaf’s innovative V2G system helps householders lowers power bills as they charge the EV with solar panels during the day then use it to power appliances at night.
Nissan Leaf V2G system turns EV into home battery storage
The new Leaf costs $49,990 plus on-road costs. However, Australians will have to wait at least another six months before V2G/V2H technology becomes available here.
This vehicle-to-grid/vehicle-to-home (V2G/V2H) system turns the car into solar energy storage. The system is already available in Japan.
Ultimately, the Leaf then becomes a battery by plugging into a home or business. Adding an EV to your solar panel and battery system can therefore optimise your energy use, Nissan says.
ABOVE: A brief explanation of V2G technology. Source: Vermont PBS
Parked cars such as Nissan Leaf offer massive potential
According to Thomas, Tesla’s world-leading giant battery at Hornsdale Power Reserve in South Australia is a “complete waste of resources”.
That’s because electric cars also have the potential to be complete home battery units, like Enphase – yet spend most of their day not being used.
Potentially, future cars will be energy providers first and modes of transport second. Cars would be batteries rather than vehicles, because they park on average 90 per cent of the time.
However, this new technology means they are an efficient asset even when stationary.
Tesla big battery wasteful? The facts beg to differ
Nissan’s chief has a valid point about the potential of parked cars such as the Nissan Leaf. However, it’s a big call to dismiss the effectiveness of Tesla’s mega storage battery in South Australia.
The Tesla Powerpack battery unit is equal to around 2,500 40 kWh Nissan Leafs, which puts things into perspective. The huge lithium-ion battery is the commercial equivalent of the domestic Tesla Powerwall 2.
As reported by Business Insider Australia, the big battery:
- Made $13 million revenue in the first six months of operation.
- Saved the SA government $33 million by stabilising the grid super-fast.
- Helped prevent further blackouts in SA.
- Contributed to a 57 per cent drop in the cost of Frequency Control Ancillary Services used to top up the power grid.
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