Japanese auto maker Nissan Motors is attempting to develop a new feature for its eco-friendly Leaf vehicle. They want it to double as a crisis home generator. The Japanese company is working to gear back up to full manufacturing after the recent natural disasters, and at the same time, develops the new technology. Post resource - Nissan developing an electric car that powers homes by Car Deal Expert.

A pure electric auto

The Leaf went on sale last December. Battery power is the only thing utilized to make the automobile run making it fully electric. Most cars labeled as eco-friendly, like the Chevrolet Volt, are hybrids. A gas-powered generator is utilized to back up batteries. A high-performance, 24kwh lithium-ion battery could be found in the Leaf. If you need one, you will have to pay about $37,000 or 2.98 yen.

Use the leaf to generate energy

The Leaf EVs (Electronic Vehicles) will have engineering to energy homes be put in them according to Nissan president Carlos Ghosn. In just a year, the business wants to have new cars in showrooms.

The recent earthquake and tsunami destruction in Japan has piqued interest in the automobile. The zero-emissions automobiles head in Nissan Motors is Hideaki Watanabe. He said, "Some people are saying that instead of installing a generator, they would just buy a Leaf." In Japan, you are able to get a household storage battery similar to the Leaf for about 2 million yen, or $25,000.

The Leaf is able to store as much as 24 kilowatt hours. The U.S. home on average can run for a whole day on that much energy. In times of emergency -- power outages for example -- the car could be utilized to charge the next day's energy overnight.

Charge units not yet available here

Without additional hardware, Nissan Motors hopes to industry home-powering cars. Nissan's quick-charge unit can, in just 30 minutes, restore 80 percent of energy which Watanabe thinks may be a way to connect it to the house. With a normal outlet, charging the car takes a whole day. It would take about 20 hours to do so. Right now, only Japan sells the quick-charge units. They cost about $15,000 to buy one. Watanabe hopes to get that cost down to about $10,000.

No longer having plant opening

Of the 7,600 Leafs that have been sold so far, United States auto owners bought about 2,000. Production slowed with the Japan disasters though. That means the Smyrna, Tenn., production plant was unable to open. The opening will probably be a while still. It might be late next year before it takes place. "Because of the earthquake, it's putting us in a difficult situation," says Watanabe. "But we're not giving up yet," he explained.

Citations

Auto News

autonews247.com/nissans-home-city-seeks-to-power-homes-from-electric-cars/

Business Link Japan

steve-crane.blogspot.com/2011/06/jun-7th-nissan-future-houses-could-be.html

Detroit Free Press

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