Photo: Nissan
If you’re of the mindset that ‘what’s fair is fair,’ then you’re going to love what Nissan and vehicle-to-grid service provider, Fermata Energy, are doing together. Through their partnership, the Nissan LEAF has now been approved to use the first ever bi-directional charger available to passenger vehicles in the United States.
With its UL 9741 certification for bi-directional charging, the Fermata Energy FE-15 charger is said to meet all key requirements from Nissan and has already proven to be compatible with the LEAF. It’s important to note that using this approved charger means that your battery warranty won’t be affected.
So, what does it mean to charge your EV in a bi-directional fashion? Well, it’s pretty straight-forward. Once you plug in your LEAF, you’re not just charging your car, but also sending energy stored in the vehicle battery back to the building on the grid. The LEAF is thus the only fully electric passenger vehicle in the United States that’s capable of supplying energy to the grid, according to Nissan.
This has other benefits too, says the carmaker, such as saving money on your local electric utility and reducing the overall cost of ownership for the vehicle – an ideal scenario for fleets.
“The Fermata Energy Demand Charge Management application, along with the FE-15 charger, continuously monitors a building’s electrical loads, and may draw on the Nissan LEAF’s energy to provide power to the building during more expensive high-demand periods. In states with utility demand response programs, bi-directional-enabled Nissan LEAF vehicles (MY2013 and later) are able to safely send energy stored in the battery to the grid during peak energy demand times, such as in summer months.”
Nissan has already kick-started its Ambition 2030 long-term plan and is looking to explore additional opportunities in the so-called Vehicle-To-Everything (V2X) market.
As for the LEAF, it has a $27,800 starting MSRP for the 2023 model year, but you can cut into that price considerably by applying a potential Federal tax credit.
So, what does it mean to charge your EV in a bi-directional fashion? Well, it’s pretty straight-forward. Once you plug in your LEAF, you’re not just charging your car, but also sending energy stored in the vehicle battery back to the building on the grid. The LEAF is thus the only fully electric passenger vehicle in the United States that’s capable of supplying energy to the grid, according to Nissan.
This has other benefits too, says the carmaker, such as saving money on your local electric utility and reducing the overall cost of ownership for the vehicle – an ideal scenario for fleets.
“The Fermata Energy Demand Charge Management application, along with the FE-15 charger, continuously monitors a building’s electrical loads, and may draw on the Nissan LEAF’s energy to provide power to the building during more expensive high-demand periods. In states with utility demand response programs, bi-directional-enabled Nissan LEAF vehicles (MY2013 and later) are able to safely send energy stored in the battery to the grid during peak energy demand times, such as in summer months.”
Nissan has already kick-started its Ambition 2030 long-term plan and is looking to explore additional opportunities in the so-called Vehicle-To-Everything (V2X) market.
As for the LEAF, it has a $27,800 starting MSRP for the 2023 model year, but you can cut into that price considerably by applying a potential Federal tax credit.
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