- Nissan takes a 25% stake in ChargeScape
- ChargeScape is a car-to-grid joint venture created by BMW, Ford, Honda, and now Nissan.
- Nissan has a vision for the “gas station of the future” where EVs will double as energy storage units.
On Monday, Nissan announced that it will join ChargeScape, a joint car-to-grid organization set up in 2023 by BMW, Ford and Honda.
The automaker is set to take a 25% shares in ChargeScape and first car partners, who announced the official launch of the program last month. That paves the way for ChargeScape to roll out software-based grid integration services to EV owners in the US and Canada.
2023 Nissan Leaf
As stated in the company's announcement last year, ChargeScape's goal is to connect EVs with electric utilities for “EV-enabled grid services” that include financial benefits for owners who connect their vehicles to the grid, share data with ChargeScape, and provide power. in their vehicles in coordinated ways to help support the grid. ChargeScape plans to launch “virtual energy plants” in California, Texas, and other markets to achieve the ultimate goal, according to Nissan.
Feeding power from EVs back into the grid can help reduce emissions by reducing the need for “high-efficiency” plants, notes Nissan. Used by utilities to boost output when demand for electricity is high, these plants typically run on fossil fuels and thus also greatly increasing pollutionaccording to a 2023 report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI).
2025 Nissan Leaf
The Nissan Leaf can play an important role here because it is one of the few EVs already offered with dual charging capability which is a prerequisite for a vehicle to go grid. Leaf hatchbacks have had dual-charging hardware since 2013, but Nissan didn't officially approve or approve the feature's use in the US until 2022—and only with certain chargers.
Connecting EVs to the grid has been discussed almost as long as modern EVs have been around. In 2016, Nissan presented a broad vision of electric vehicles such as “the gas station of the future,” where EVs will double as energy storage units and help power buildings when parked. Perhaps ChargeScape and other projects like it will finally make that vision a reality.