Nissan has announced it will launch ‘affordable’ on-board bi-directional charging on selected EVs from 2026. The Vehicle to Grid (V2G) technology, which will allow EV owners to use electricity stored in their car’s battery to power their homes or sell it back into the grid, will launch in the UK initially, followed by other markets in Europe. The project is underpinned by Nissan’s existing V2G research, with the company having conducted around 40 pilot projects worldwide over the past decade.
Following a successful year-long project at Nottingham University, Nissan has become the first car company to gain G99 Grid code certification with an AC-based solution needed to supply electricity into the UK national energy supply. Under the name of Nissan Energy, the company said its aim is to roll-out V2G technology across markets in Europe and beyond, empowering consumers with either AC or DC-based V2G solutions, in alignment with local infrastructure and regulatory requirements.
According to Nissan, customers using its on-board bi-directional V2G technology can cut the annual cost of powering an EV by 50 per cent. The same technology is also said to reduce net CO2 emissions from charging by 30 per cent per year, per EV for the average UK household. The company added that EVs equipped with V2G technology can play a ‘crucial’ role in integrating and increasing the mix of renewables into the energy supply, by storing electricity generated by wind or solar, and directing it back into the grid when needed and thus reducing dependency on fossil fuels.
As one of the bi-directional systems Nissan plans to offer, the AC-bidirectional system certified in the UK will leverage an integrated on-board charger to deliver a lower cost of entry, allowing the technology to be accessible to more people. Nissan said it aims to offer its AC bi-directional charger at a price comparable to a mono-directional charger available today. As well as lowering the cost of entry, Nissan’s V2G system will give customers complete control and flexibility over their energy via a dedicated app.
“The technology we are bringing to customers is a potential game-changer for how we view the car,” said Hugues Desmarchelier, Nissan vice president, Global Electrification Ecosystem and EV Programmes. “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.”
The V2G UK trial has been partly funded by the UK government’s Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC). During the trial, Nissan worked with Dreev, a joint venture between EDF and NUVVE. The company was responsible for data collection, customer profiling and setting the charging and discharging plan by analysing information from the wall box. Enovates, a Belgian-based mobility technology company, developed the wall box, or Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE), including set-up and test certification. Nissan said that the wall box acts as the system hub, sending and receiving information on energy demand and supply from the Dreev cloud, and directing the car to charge or discharge electricity at a set amount to the home or grid. Nottingham University provided the base of operations at its on-campus Creative Energy Homes, and supported academic research throughout the trail.
Looking ahead, Nissan said that it is continuing to work with these and other partners to achieve the necessary grid certification in other markets, develop a seamless user experience, and expand the technology availability to more customers.
