Nissan Builds a Post-Fukushima Neighborhood Around the Leaf

If you’re worried about natural disasters and energy dependence, Nissan’s got a car and a house to sell you in the most exclusive of communities.

The automaker is displaying the NSH-2012 (above) as the “Smart House” of the future at CEATEC Japan (Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies) 2011. It’s the centerpiece of Nissan’s Standalone Energy Community exhibit along with Smart Healthcare, Smart Cottage, Smart Rental Car and Smart Food Stand.

The house, inspired by both modern aircraft fuselage design and ancient Japanese homes, has a polyhedral structure that’s resistant to disasters, and there’s a Leaf EV at its heart.

Energy independence has taken on new significance and urgency in Japan since the Fukushima disaster, so each one of the buildings in the Energy Community relies on solar, fuel cell or wind power. Although the buildings are all designed to be self-sufficient, the Leaf is central to their existence as a community. Through the Leaf to Home charging system, the car acts as a battery backup if a solar system can’t generate enough power on a rainy day — or worse.

“This home can maintain stable in-house power supply that is not affected by weather, and can rely on solar power and power stored in an EV’s batteries if power is cut off during a disaster,” the company said.

When all is going well, a smart-grid setup funnels energy to and from individual power generation stations — and to and from plugged-in Leafs for low-emission charging.

Images: Nissan

View the original article here

Electric Nissan Leaf Gets Equivalent of 99 MPG

It’s official: The Nissan Leaf electric vehicle gets the equivalent of 99 mpg in combined city and highway driving.
The Environmental Protection Agency has approved the window sticker you’ll see (.jpg) when the Nissan Leaf rolls into showrooms next month, and it says in big bold letters, “99 MPG equivalent combined 106 city, 92 highway.”
How’d they arrive at those figures? According to Nissan, the calculation is based on the EPA’s formula of 33.7 kilowatt-hours being the equivalent of one gallon of gasoline. The Leaf’s 24 kilowatt-hour pack is good for a driving range of 73 miles. The window sticker says the car charges in seven hours at 240 volts.
Nissan has said the Leaf will deliver a range of 100 miles based on the LA4 driving cycle. Further muddying the waters, the Leaf also will feature a sticker from the Federal Trade Commission, which regulates advertising of alt-fuel vehicles, stating the car has a range of 96 to 110 miles, according to The New York Times.
The question of range is dependent upon several factors, including driving style and ambient temperature. Drive like Formula 1 champ Sebastian Vettel on a blistering hot day with the A/C cranked and you’ll get far less range than if you drive like grandma on a pleasant day. That’s why Nissan says drivers will experience “a range of ranges.”
“We’re trying to be very open so folks are making the right decision for them,” Mark Perry, Nissan’s director of EV and advanced technology strategy, told The Times. “We don’t want them to be surprised.”
The EPA says annual electricity costs for the Leaf will be $561.
Photo of the Leaf on the assembly line: Nissan
View the original article here  my sponser