Nissan’s energy crisis averter

Leaf shows world it’s an alternative power source

By CHARLES BARRINGTON

THOSE bright sparks at Nissan are helping keep the wheels of industry turning in the biggest economic region outside of Japan’s capital.

The all-electric Leaf is going down a storm as an energy crisis averter in the wake of last year’s earthquake and tsunami disasters that knocked out the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

Now the global giant – which is the UK’s biggest car manufacturer – is more than doing its bit to help the Japanese city of Osaka, where limiting energy use is a big issue.

Some 250 all-electric LEAFs, equipped with the ingenious ‘LEAF-to-Home’ energy system, have been supplied to local authorities and members of the public in Osaka, situated in Japan’s Kansai region.

The clever cars will be put to good use, supplying power to homes during the day and charging from the grid at night.

Osaka, with a population of almost nine million, is second only to Tokyo in terms of economic activity in Japan. However, the city’s economy slowed last year because of changed work schedules and emergency conservation measures taken in the wake of the disasters.

Seiji Nakamura, spokesman for the Osaka local government office, said: “We’ve been told we need to reduce consumption by at least 15 per cent.”

Nissan chief operating officer Toshiyuki Shiga has had meetings with Osaka government officials about the ‘LEAF-to-Home’ power plan.

“With LEAF-to-Home, we can store electricity in the night-time, and then from the car, we use it in the daytime, especially during peak demand time,” he said.

Osaka is a first step for Nissan, which intends to offer ‘LEAF-to-Home’ elsewhere in Japan if further demand emerges.

See how the Leaf helps . . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJVFn5-WWyY

To find out more about the Leaf, including a test drive, call Martin Newbold or Steve Sadler today on 01827 895125 or email enquiries@polesworth-garage.com