Electric vehicle owners are already enjoying the benefits of knowing their vehicle will charge quietly while they sleep. Now they can dream about how much money they can make doing it.
That's the bet Nissan is making by joining ChargeScape, a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) company already backed by BMW, Ford and Honda.
ChargeScape's software wirelessly connects electric vehicles to power grids and utilities. When connected to ChargeScape's platform, electric vehicle drivers can receive financial incentives to temporarily pause charging during periods of high demand. ChargeScape says they will also eventually be able to sell the energy stored in their vehicle's battery back to the grid.
A 2021 University of Rochester study found that electric vehicle owners could save up to $150 per year by using V2G technology. But technology has evolved in recent years. V2G company Fermata Energy says a customer using its bi-directional charger was able to save $187.50 in 15 minutes under certain circumstances by drawing energy from a Nissan LEAF to avoid costly demand charges.
Nissan plans to make ChargeScape technology available to its electric vehicle drivers in the United States and Canada. The company says the move is particularly significant because the company has sold 650,000 Leaf models in the U.S., one of the first electric vehicles with the ability to export electricity back to the grid.
ChargeScape launched in September and is owned equally by BMW, Ford, Honda and now Nissan. However, other automakers are also expected to join the party.
In August, GM announced that V2G technology would become standard on all models for the 2026 model year.
The project comes at a time when electric vehicle sales and infrastructure growth are increasing rapidly and the power grid is facing challenges. Simply put, more electric vehicles on the road means more demand on utilities to provide the electricity they need.
At the same time, more and more electric vehicle manufacturers are looking to integrate automotive software that offers advanced driver aids and other connected features.
With the rapid adoption of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, ChargeScape is entering an environment where competitors such as ChargePoint, Electrify America, Fermata Energy and BP Pulse are already vying for a piece of the action.
But there's a good reason for ChargeScape to get in now: Tesla, which otherwise dominates the field in the US, has so far held back from adopting V2G technology, instead focusing on its Powerwall home battery solution for storing solar energy and providing it Backup concentrates performance. However, CEO Elon Musk has hinted that Tesla could introduce V2G technology for its vehicles in 2025.
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