Nissan Taking On Tesla Powerwall With Recycling Approach

by Mark Stevenson

June 15th, 2015 2:00 PM

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nissan taking on tesla powerwall with recycling approach

Nissan is looking to take on Tesla et al in the stationary energy storage game with their own battery solution. However, unlike the Silicon Valley based electric car manufacturer and ZEV credit printing press, the Japanese automaker is looking to take a much greener approach.

Instead of building fresh batteries for commercial stationary applications, Nissan will instead reuse lithium-ion batteries from the LEAF with partner Green Charge Networks.

The first application “will be installed at a Nissan facility this summer, where multiple Nissan LEAF batteries will be configured to offset peak electricity demand,” said Nissan in a statement released today.

Since the batteries can be offered at a significant savings over newer counterparts from competitors, Nissan hopes customers in regions without incentive programs will see them as a cost-effective option.

“A lithium-ion battery from a Nissan LEAF still holds a great deal of value as energy storage, even after it is removed from the vehicle, so Nissan expects to be able to reuse a majority of LEAF battery packs in non-automotive applications,” said Brad Smith, director of Nissan’s 4R Energy business.

#Battery #Commercial #Energy #Leaf #Nissan #Powerwall #Stationary #Storage #Tesla

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9 of 19 comments

GeorgiaLuxuryAutomotive on Jun 15, 2015

The fact that these batteries still have usable power in it after it is removed from the vehicle is very amazing. Like redav mentioned, it would definitely save money from the electric bill. This is something everyone should invest in.

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SCE to AUX on Jun 15, 2015

Nissan still leads the way in ZEV credits, despite popular opinion: http://www.greencarcongress.com/2014/10/20141017-zevcred.html My question is this - what happens to the cars? Is this application going to be the cover story for thousands of unsellable Leafs coming off lease? My 12 Leaf goes back in 3 months. Curious, I looked at retail prices for used 12 Leafs. One had been marked down to $8999, with only 18k on it. It sold the next day. But there is a growing number of Leafs like mine listed for $10-14k retail, but there won't be many takers. So I wonder if Nissan will conveniently convert their packs into load levelers, and dispose of the cars? Or will they fit them with new batteries and boost the used car market?

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- Shaker on Jun 16, 2015
  
  Internet has it that Nissan is (has) offered replacement packs for $5,500 (well below cost), but that may be to owners whose packs have deteriorated (but not enough to necessitate warranty replacement). SCE: Where is your pack's capacity (just curious). I saw a CPO '12 Leaf locally for around $15k, it's showing 11 bars, which means it's down at least 15% capacity from new. So that means a range of around 65 miles (on a good day). which is a "dirty little secret" about these - I would consider one with this range if it ware $8k-10K, but only if an affordable replacement pack were available, if desired.
  
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- Mcs on Jun 16, 2015
  
  @shaker The battery replacement program has been around for two years now. There is even a $100 a month payment program in place with NMAC. You also get the latest battery technology with the replacement. http://nissannews.com/en-US/nissan/usa/releases/nissan-announces-battery-replacement-program-for-leaf I'd recommend waiting for the 13's to come to the used market. Make sure you get one capable of "B" mode regen and equipped with the heat pump and chademo quick charge port. I'd recommend trying to find one with the 17 inch rims for improved handling. Driving an EV for maximum range can be like playing a violin. Most people are going to be terrible, especially when you first start. But with practice, you can make some amazing music. Drive smoothly using the regen and the range makes a huge jump. Long winding 40 mph New England back roads and interstate traffic that crawls along at 15 to 25 mph boost it further. So, depending on your situation and how you drive, the range might be higher than you expect. Yesterday, I went 50 miles as fast as traffic allowed running LED headlights, wipers, and some defroster time. Averaged 40.7 mph and measured 4.7 miles per kWh. That would put me at over 100 miles range. Now, if the roads were empty and I averaged 65 to 70, I'm sure it would have been drastically lower. If I didn't have B mode regen on my Leaf (and I'm pretty good with it), I doubt I'd get the numbers I get. BTW - with 13k miles, according to LeafSpy (Leaf CAN bus data reader) my car is at this moment at 102.3% charge and I have 25,944 Wh of charge. If the data is correct, the newest Nissan batteries could have a couple of extra kWatts of capacity gain over the originals. I don't trust the app and what I'm seeing so I'm not really sure. A tiny bit of secretly added capacity could mask battery capacity loss. Again, I don't trust the app so who knows.
  
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- SCE to AUX on Jun 16, 2015
  
  @shaker My battery's State of Health is 87%, but it's got to be closer to 86%. I have about 19.2 kWh capacity on a full charge. At 85% I'll lose the first of 12 bars, but that may not happen before it is returned. mcs' experience with his newer Leaf has been much different from mine. If you're considering a 12 Leaf with 11 bars, it may display 65 miles when full, but the range display is notoriously optimistic. Winter range (I forget where you live) can be as low as half of what's displayed.
  
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- Shaker on Jun 17, 2015
  
  @SCE to AUX mcs and SCE - thanks for the info :-)
  
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Kendahl on Jun 15, 2015

Has Nissan sold enough Leafs for there to be an adequate pool of old batteries to reuse?

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- Mcs on Jun 15, 2015
  
  Over 170,000 worldwide so far.
  
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360joules on Jun 16, 2015

This is old news and stale. Nissan signed these contracts long ago.

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