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CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE ROLLOUT NATIONWIDE IN AFRICA’S ELECTRIC VEHICLE ROAD TRIP (EVRT)
Date: 08 Oct 2019 |
Author Type: Press Release |
Author: Nissan South Africa |
Source: Nissan South Africa |
ROSSLYN,
South Africa (October 7, 2019) Electric vehicles (EVs) have the
potential to significantly enrich people’s lives in a world of zero emissions.
Kabelo Rabotho, Marketing Director, Nissan South Africa
says, “one hundred EVs with zero emissions and intelligent energy integration capabilities
could power an entire building. We can now also recycle our batteries and give
them a second lease on life as energy stores for electric vehicles, homes,
offices, businesses and even remote villages with a smart grid. This is already
taking place here, in South Africa, where ‘second-life’ Leaf batteries,
together with solar panels, are being used to generate sustainable power for
learners at Filadelfia Secondary School, in Soshanguve.”
With EVs as mobile energy hubs, South African cities
could become greener, more integrated living spaces. An EV is, essentially, a
large electricity storage device and while the battery takes from the grid when
it is charging, there exists the potential to feed some of that energy back
into the grid when demand is high and advances in technology - such as Nissan’s
newly launched e-Power, which is a motor driven vehicle like the zero-emission
Leaf, but with an internal engine to recharge the battery constantly - already
allow power stored in EVs to be used in a range of home and commercial
applications.
In this case, EVRT Africa has shown that, “as Nissan we
too can operate the ‘off the grid’ to focuses mainly on developing smart
charging solutions (vehicle to grid or V2G) by bringing together technologies
developed and mastered by both companies. Smart charging refers to technologies
that optimize the charging or discharging of an electric vehicle in an
efficient and cost-effective manner.”
As part of the cooperation agreement, Nissan is
responsible for the sale of V2G compatible electric vehicles, to accelerate the
deployment of EV, which is the base from which we need to begin to increase
autonomous drive-ready conditions, we need both financial and non-financial
incentives from government Rabotho emphasises.
Electric vehicle purchase incentives and sales tax
incentives are primary focus areas for many European countries, including
Norway. The small Nordic nation has been dubbed “the poster child of the EV
revolution” and a recent Forbes article reported that nearly 60% of all new
cars sold in Norway in March of this year were entirely electric-powered. This
as a result of the Norwegian government having invested heavily in financial
incentives - for customers in Norway, it is now cheaper to buy an EV than to by
a traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle – and in charging
infrastructure.
Smart
charging solutions include technologies to control when vehicles charge and how
quickly they power up, as well as allow the two-way flow of electricity between
vehicle and charger. Thanks to V2G technologies, the energy accumulated in the
batteries of electric vehicles can also be used for businesses own energy needs
or the grid when required – a benefit that will become increasingly important
as greater numbers of electric vehicles arrive on our roads and to help balance
intermittent renewable generation.
The energy
that is stored in an electric vehicle like the Nissan Leaf can be sold back to
the grid by the customer, generating additional revenue to offset vehicle
ownership costs. The financial, environmental and societal benefits of V2G have
made it a highly anticipated innovation in the market, but one which has not
fully progressed to this point.
“Today, key
government partners as well as the other automotive manufacturers are looking
to mark a huge step towards realising this electric future, creating a
practical solution that benefits businesses and wider society alike.”