Nissan Leaf Can Power Your Home An Electric Car That Can Be A Home Generator!

So here we have the begginings of a self sufficient off the grid future. Now it can run your home for 2 days, but with a few batteries constantly being charged from solar and wind power I could see how this could be a permenant solution to our oil dependence. Good riddance in my opinion.

Nissan Leaf To Home - your electric car as emergency home generator
The new Nissan Leaf to Home system turns your electric car into an emergency home generator, and can give up to 2 days worth of power to keep your home running in case of natural disasters, or even generic power cuts.

It's a very clever technology, which uses the Nissan Leaf's ability to push electricity out of the charging socket as well as suck it in. The company has so far sold a few thousand units in Japan, and is now looking for manufacturing partners to bring the system to the rest of the world.

At $30k for one of those cars I think I would rather just buy a generator and a cheaper car....

Heres a little more info on how they charge it.......


Charging your Nissan LEAF. How to Charge your Electric Car.

a reply to: Bluntone22

Yeah, a home fuel cell would be a lot cheaper.

Sorry that technology will never be allowed in the US; Not enough profit for the energy and oil companies that rule our world.

In some states it's illegal to capture rain water from your roof.

originally posted by: Bluntone22
At $30k for one of those cars I think I would rather just buy a generator and a cheaper car....

You must be a "tight ass" like me!

Anytime I need to spend more money on a vehicle than I could to buy home?

originally posted by: greencmp
a reply to: Bluntone22

Yeah, a home fuel cell would be a lot cheaper.

This isn't meant to be a full-time home generator, it's just a feature for emergency use.

My company is 100% carbon neutral. Our building is covered in solar panels. All of our daily electricity use comes directly from that big nuclear power plant in the sky.

Company cars are Nissan Leafs, Plug in Pruises, and Chevy Volts.. It's awesome not having to ever fill up with gas - ever. And if you haven't driven any of these cars, try them out. They are surprisingly peppy.

A Leaf is definitely worth the price tag, imo.

Yes, that has been part of their advertising of the car for some time here. Mind you, the small petrol generators are becoming quite inexpensive and reliable these days, we should really all have standby's like that where you can.
To add, part of the blurb was being able to get 'payback' from the national grid.

a reply to: TinkerHaus

That's great and, though you have a very high energy cost due to the high tech nature of your kit, it sounds like being off the grid has other features that make it desirable overall.

For most people who can't spend 20 years of energy costs up front, fuel cells are the most economical solution in my mind.

originally posted by: smurfy
Yes, that has been part of their advertising of the car for some time here. Mind you, the small petrol generators are becoming quite inexpensive and reliable these days, we should really all have standby's like that where you can.
To add, part of the blurb was being able to get 'payback' from the national grid.

Yep! I recently saw one sitting out side a tourists caravan, it was no bigger than a womans hand bag! and extremely quiet.

originally posted by: greencmp
a reply to: TinkerHaus

That's great and, though you have a very high energy cost due to the high tech nature of your kit, it sounds like being off the grid has other features that make it desirable overall.

For most people who can't spend 20 years of energy costs up front, fuel cells are the most economical solution in my mind.

I understand the problem with price. Most people buy cars in the $30k range anyway, no?

If you consider that you literally aren't paying for gas, plus factor in the cost of a new vehicle that is a little less expensive, the cost difference is minimal. Additional there are both federal and state tax deductions available when purchasing a hybrid, CNG, or electric vehicle. If you plan properly it's possible to get an alternatively powered car for the same price as a traditional car.

Your electric bill at home will increase slightly (less than your monthly fuel costs would be) unless you can plug in for free at work, in which case you don't have to charge at home except maybe if you're using the car on the weekends.

On top of all of this prices on electric vehicles are coming down. The Tesla Model S with the Ludicrous Speed upgrade is almost within my grasp. I'm pretty sure it will be my next car. 0-60 in 2.7 seconds? Yes, please!

a reply to: TinkerHaus

Yes and this is definitely a secondary emergency dual-use application so I'm not knocking it per se, just agreeing with blunt that dedicated backup generators are a lot cheaper and fuel cells are giving them a run for their money finally.

Here is a portable solar generator that could with a extra battery probably charge the leaf. . . .

Fascinating Thread, I think the issue is should you buy this car for the bonus of 2 days emergency power? I say no although the technology is amazing and good here about. We already have two vehicles that are sound and safe, so why sell one or both for that bonus of 2 days worth of emergency power?

We can purchase right now a whole home Natural gas generator for less than 5K installed and I mean we can run everything all at once. They are no larger or bulkier compared to a central air conditioner. Also we live in a colder climate than Japan has and it most certainly effect the battery life of the car.

As Voidhawk mentioned above they are really small, so do not get involved in a crash or your dead.
www.autoblog.com...
www.consumerreports.org...

They might be ok for back roads and stuff but I would never take one out on the highway at rush hour.

But after all my negative comments I do believe things are going in the right direction and this thread pleased me to see what they have done so far. It is most certainly a good idea and it will be ideal for a lot of people be it in Japan or wherever.
S&F OP
Regards, Iwinder

originally posted by: TinkerHaus


I understand the problem with price. Most people buy cars in the $30k range anyway, no?

The problem with the 30K price tag is not that it’s not affordable. Nissan is a mid-range vehicle manufacturer; they aren’t going to make a car that is “unaffordable”.

The problem is the quality of the car you are getting for that 30K.

Subtract the expensive home power generating electric engine and battery and your left with a car that would sell for far far cheaper with an internal combustion engine.

This is not a problem if it makes the individual consumer happy to be driving a cheap car with an expensive engine (not to mention the hire maintenance and repair costs). If going Green is your thing, and paying a premium on your vehicle in order to do your part is acceptable; than vehicles like this are perfect they are both affordable and move you closer to your goal.

But if going green is not a priority for you; than the 30K price tag (though affordable) may not be appealing due to the quality of car you be getting for your 30K.

This is why it’s important for the cost of these power systems to come down; so that the quality of the overall car can go up at the various price points. This will make buying these types of cars a no brainer; both those who want to go green will buy, and those who want a quality car will buy.

I had the pleasure of driving an “Affordable” prius the other day. It was a nice car that handled itself well. But I was taken aback by how I felt like I was driving the used neon I bought 15 years ago when I was in high school. Don’t get me wrong; I loved that neon; but if someone told me it would cost me 30K I would have laughed at them.

originally posted by: greencmp
a reply to: Bluntone22

Yeah, a home fuel cell would be a lot cheaper.

Or, you can ionize far cheaper liquids for the same effect.

There was a Californian company that came up with this idea about 8 years ago.
Plug your car into your home, to power your home....simple.
With the newer home power storage plants coming out, even your IC Fuel efficient car can be used to power your home.
Simply plug it in, the computer will start and stop the engine, to charge on demand.
Have some venting in the garage, you would'nt even know it was running (note, not using your V8 muscle car for this job).
Also Solar panels moulded into the car roof, and regenerating electric motors will fix most of the charging problems, for sunny areas anyway.
Hybrid will be the way to go initially.

originally posted by: TinkerHaus


I understand the problem with price. Most people buy cars in the $30k range anyway, no?

If you consider that you literally aren't paying for gas, plus factor in the cost of a new vehicle that is a little less expensive, the cost difference is minimal. Additional there are both federal and state tax deductions available when purchasing a hybrid, CNG, or electric vehicle. If you plan properly it's possible to get an alternatively powered car for the same price as a traditional car.

Your electric bill at home will increase slightly (less than your monthly fuel costs would be) unless you can plug in for free at work, in which case you don't have to charge at home except maybe if you're using the car on the weekends.

On top of all of this prices on electric vehicles are coming down. The Tesla Model S with the Ludicrous Speed upgrade is almost within my grasp. I'm pretty sure it will be my next car. 0-60 in 2.7 seconds? Yes, please!

Yes, I'm inclined to believe that some form of electric car is the future at least in a transitional interim, but there is miles to go, (pardon the expression) to get to the same stage as a fuel driven passenger car in any form.
What I think is wrong, or more likely goes wrong is the need to buy into a system that potentially ties you a particular entity, AKA the manufacturer.
We already know the expense of renewing electronic systems already fitted to cars that run on fuel just to make them more efficient, while at the same time we know a car can be run without an expensive all seeing eye quite well indefinitely, with nothing like the costs to the individual. However the electric motor car manufacturers, and most of them are established entities, sell their electric products at higher end prices, which could be obsolete at a stroke of a new computer programme and a well aimed robotic solder iron. Okay you have a plug and play vehicle today that can do patches for the electronics that can make your car non-electric driven car more efficient, in the current meantime, all those manufacturers, are working on ways to make the electric motors themselves properly responsive to driver inputs just to make the car more efficient in the use of the available electric power, since no electric motor seems to attain the published figures in variable driving. Will that be a patch, or a complete redesign of engine motor on an object that is truly an expensive buy, and nobody is saying that the patch will be free.

originally posted by: DanDanDat

originally posted by: TinkerHaus


I understand the problem with price. Most people buy cars in the $30k range anyway, no?

The problem with the 30K price tag is not that it’s not affordable. Nissan is a mid-range vehicle manufacturer; they aren’t going to make a car that is “unaffordable”.

The problem is the quality of the car you are getting for that 30K.

Subtract the expensive home power generating electric engine and battery and your left with a car that would sell for far far cheaper with an internal combustion engine.

This is not a problem if it makes the individual consumer happy to be driving a cheap car with an expensive engine (not to mention the hire maintenance and repair costs). If going Green is your thing, and paying a premium on your vehicle in order to do your part is acceptable; than vehicles like this are perfect they are both affordable and move you closer to your goal.

But if going green is not a priority for you; than the 30K price tag (though affordable) may not be appealing due to the quality of car you be getting for your 30K.

This is why it’s important for the cost of these power systems to come down; so that the quality of the overall car can go up at the various price points. This will make buying these types of cars a no brainer; both those who want to go green will buy, and those who want a quality car will buy.

I had the pleasure of driving an “Affordable” prius the other day. It was a nice car that handled itself well. But I was taken aback by how I felt like I was driving the used neon I bought 15 years ago when I was in high school. Don’t get me wrong; I loved that neon; but if someone told me it would cost me 30K I would have laughed at them.

So I drive Priuses, Volts, and Leafs.. None of them feel like the $^tty Neon I owned 20 years ago..

Higher maintenance costs? No - it's more like 1/2 the maintenance costs!

Certainly a Leaf isn't a Beamer, but it's a decent car for a lower cost than a traditional car over the lifespan of the vehicle.

originally posted by: smurfy

originally posted by: TinkerHaus


I understand the problem with price. Most people buy cars in the $30k range anyway, no?

If you consider that you literally aren't paying for gas, plus factor in the cost of a new vehicle that is a little less expensive, the cost difference is minimal. Additional there are both federal and state tax deductions available when purchasing a hybrid, CNG, or electric vehicle. If you plan properly it's possible to get an alternatively powered car for the same price as a traditional car.

Your electric bill at home will increase slightly (less than your monthly fuel costs would be) unless you can plug in for free at work, in which case you don't have to charge at home except maybe if you're using the car on the weekends.

On top of all of this prices on electric vehicles are coming down. The Tesla Model S with the Ludicrous Speed upgrade is almost within my grasp. I'm pretty sure it will be my next car. 0-60 in 2.7 seconds? Yes, please!

Yes, I'm inclined to believe that some form of electric car is the future at least in a transitional interim, but there is miles to go, (pardon the expression) to get to the same stage as a fuel driven passenger car in any form.
What I think is wrong, or more likely goes wrong is the need to buy into a system that potentially ties you a particular entity, AKA the manufacturer.
We already know the expense of renewing electronic systems already fitted to cars that run on fuel just to make them more efficient, while at the same time we know a car can be run without an expensive all seeing eye quite well indefinitely, with nothing like the costs to the individual. However the electric motor car manufacturers, and most of them are established entities, sell their electric products at higher end prices, which could be obsolete at a stroke of a new computer programme and a well aimed robotic solder iron. Okay you have a plug and play vehicle today that can do patches for the electronics that can make your car non-electric driven car more efficient, in the current meantime, all those manufacturers, are working on ways to make the electric motors themselves properly responsive to driver inputs just to make the car more efficient in the use of the available electric power, since no electric motor seems to attain the published figures in variable driving. Will that be a patch, or a complete redesign of engine motor on an object that is truly an expensive buy, and nobody is saying that the patch will be free.

Tesla provides software upgrades for free. A $100k Tesla is not only free to drive, low maintenance, and emission free - It will also blow a Charger Hellcat out of the water in the 1/4 mile.

Electric motors (I work on them on a daily basis, though not on the scale of an electric vehicle motor) will literally last forever if properly maintained. Something about not housing explosions make them last longer than combustion engines. The problem is batteries, which can be expensive to replace but are coming down in cost. Tesla is building a manufacturing facility that will drastically reduce the cost of lithium-ion batteries for vehicle or home use.

The Tesla Supercharger will get you around a 200 mile range in under 30 minutes charge time. =]

I think this feature on a Leaf is great! While it's not the sole purpose of buying a Leaf, it's an added bonus if/when it's available outside of Japan.

I typically buy a new car every 2-3 years, so for me a lease option with an electric is a good option. $200 a month, no fuel charges.. That's a fraction of the average car payment.

I also love my old and rugged K1500 Suburban. I'm not a tree hugger, but as a practical person I see a lot of benefits to owning and driving electric. =]