The 100% electric Nissan LEAF is playing a key role in Latin America‘s first bidirectional vehicle charging system, launched in Chile in cooperation between ENEL X, the Energy Sustainability Agency and Nissan.
Installed at the Energy Sustainability Agency’s offices in Santiago, the Vehicle-to-Grid system makes it possible to not only charge electric vehicles; the vehicles can also feed energy from their batteries back into the office’s electrical system, serving as an auxiliary power source when demand is high. In addition to the LEAF, the project also makes use of a 3-kilowatt solar panel.
Implemented under the framework of the Public-Private Agreement to Promote Electromobility, signed last year in Chile, the project marks a milestone in the country’s development of electric mobility.
“For the first time in Latin America, the Energy Sustainability Agency’s innovative project enables measurement of the bidirectional flow between the electric vehicle’s battery and the system’s storage unit,” said Francisco Medina, electric vehicle manager at Nissan Chile. “During peak hours, when energy costs are higher, the vehicle will contribute as a source of power. The new Nissan LEAF is the only electric car with V2G technology, and we’re proud to be part of this important initiative.”
The Nissan Leaf is a compact five-door hatchback electric car manufactured by Nissan, introduced in Japan and the United States in December 2010, and now in its second generation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official range for the 2018 model year Leaf is 243 km (151 miles) on a full battery charge.
Among other awards and recognition, the Nissan Leaf has won the 2010 Green Car Vision Award, the 2011 European Car of the Year, the 2011 World Car of the Year, and the 2011–2012 Car of the Year Japan.
Since inception, global sales totaled over 400,000 Leafs by March 2019, making the Leaf the world’s all-time best-selling highway-capable electric car.
