Nissan and Mitsubishi To Standardize EV-to-Home Plug-In Equipment

We’ve heard about the Leaf acting as – and I quote – a “giant battery on wheels” which can power an actual house for two days. But it’s not only Leaf owners who can use their EV as a back-up power supply; Mitsubishi has been selling the same type of equipment since last month, for the i-MiEV. As might be expected, neither system is compatible with the other.

Mitsubishi and Nissan have proposed to standardize their equipment, hoping to develop a national standard for connections between an electric car and a home. Right now, in theory, a customer who buys the Nissan kit will always have to stick with Nissan products in order to continue using the kit, and the same is true for Mitsubishi. Both companies fear this will discourage potential customers from buying either product.

The connection equipment currently available converts the power from direct current to alternating current in both cases. However, the communication segment of the kit – which recognizes the vehicle’s model number, confirms energy flow rate, and checks the remaining charge available on the battery – is what differs between the two.

Both companies believe that creation of a national standard (if it succeeds) will encourage further study of electric vehicles in the next generation of energy conservation and housing initiatives; a car is, after all, much more versatile than a storage battery that just sits there.

Source: Yomiuri Online

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Tags: Alternative Energy, alternative fuels, automobiles, Batteries, battery, battery on wheels, car, Conventional Cars, electric, electric car, electric cars, electric vehicle, electric vehicles, EV, EVs, i MiEV, LEAF, mitsubishi, Mitsubishi i-MiEV, New Technology, Nissan, Nissan LEAF, plug-in, storage battery

About the Author

Charis Michelsen spent 7 years living in Germany and Japan, studying both languages extensively, doing translation and education with companies like Bosch, Nissan, Fuji Heavy, and others. Charis has a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and currently lives in Chicago, Illinois. She also believes that Janeway was the best Star Trek Captain.