- Nissan will support bi-directional, vehicle-to-grid charging on selected EVs from 2026, helping EV owners to save both money and boost sustainability.
- The tech will initially be rolled out in the United Kingdom, before coming to other European countries at a later date.
- The manufacturer believes that now is the right time to bring the technology to mass market, after running over 40 pilots of V2G tech over the past decade.
Nissan continues its V2G push
Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology allows EVs to act as bidirectional energy storage. EVs can be charged up from the grid at low times of demand, when the energy is cheaper, then discharged back into the grid when demand is higher – potentially allowing owners to make money off the solution.
The milestone achieved by Nissan can be partly attributed to a recent UK trial of the technology, which was partly funded by the UK Government’s Advanced Propulsion Centre – who have helped fund numerous innovative EV projects recently, such as ultra-fast charging batteries, and lightweight composite car materials. The manufacturer will use its ‘Nissan Energy’ brand to roll out the tech across Europe initially, before also launching in other international regions. The recent mass trial of V2G in China highlights the keenness worldwide to make V2G a highly-adopted solution.
That’s not to say that Nissan EVs have been capable of vehicle-to-grid operations already. Octopus Energy launched the UK’s first V2G energy tariff earlier this year, supported by only a small number of older EVs: Namely, the Nissan Leaf, Nissan e-NV200 van, and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. With Nissan hoping to support this tech on its future EVs, however, the pressure will be on other OEMs to also support the technology.
Hugues Desmarchelier, Nissan Vice President of Global Electrification Ecosystem & EV Programs, commented on the achievement:
“The technology we are bringing to customers is a potential game-changer for how we view the car. Not just as a means of getting from A to B, but as a mobile energy storage unit, capable of saving people money, supporting the transition of our energy systems away from fossil fuels and bringing us closer to a carbon-free future. Nissan is proud to democratise technology for the benefit of society. The breakthrough in an on-board solution for two-way charging will be a substantial reduction in the cost of integrating a future EV into your energy supply, and the ability to leverage the car as a source of income over its lifecycle.”
Ian Constance, Chief Executive of the Advanced Propulsion Centre, added:
“This is a significant milestone for the collaborative research and development project, led by Nissan Technical Centre Europe and supported by the Department for Business and Trade through the APC. Investing in pioneering vehicle-to-grid technology and R&D in the UK is part of a system-level approach to decarbonisation.”
