Nissan, Hitachi Will Use EV Batteries to Power Elevators

Nissan and a Hitachi subsidiary from Japan announced their plans to implement a system that will use electric vehicle batteries to power elevators, especially in times of electricity outages, according to a report by Reuters on Friday, Jan. 27.

EV Battery-Powered Elevators

Only a small number of cars today can charge for multiple purposes other than running a car, such as powering houses or returning energy to the grid. Automakers like Ford and Renault are among those hopping on board.

Nissan and Hitachi Building Systems are concentrating on keeping elevators working, particularly when power supplies could be out in Japan. They also aim to expand the use of EV batteries not just in cars but in other systems as well.

The companies claimed that during a prototype project announced on Friday, they were able to run a nine-person elevator at a moderate speed for ten hours by using the battery of a Nissan Sakura, which is a fully electric micro "kei" car.

According to a Hitachi Building Systems executive, Nissan supports the CHAdeMO charging standard, which is used by the V2X system. Hence, it can also use the power of bigger Nissan electric vehicles such as the Leaf and Ariya models.

Tatsunori Takahashi, director of Hitachi Building Systems' domestic business management division, expressed his optimism that the company would begin supplying the system to apartment buildings as soon as the new fiscal year began in April.

Nissan's Electric Pickup Truck for the US

Nissan is also considering the introduction of a mid-size electric pickup truck similar to its Frontier for US consumers. It is worth noting that the automaker took ten years to release its second electric vehicle after launching the Leaf in 2011. Hence, this prospective truck may take a while before its release.

The company's electric crossover, the Nissan Ariya, has been postponed multiple times, but it appears that the company wants to release more EVs since the demand for clean-energy cars is rising.

The Japanese carmaker revealed its intentions to invest $500 million in its Canton Vehicle Assembly factory in Mississippi in February 2022 in order to turn it into a hub for US manufacturing. The plan includes two brand-new, all-electric cars.

General Motors (GM) may also offer a small electric pickup among its selection of affordably priced EVs. The Nissan Frontier is anticipated to be smaller than the compact electric pickup truck.

Electric pickup trucks are presently the trendiest and most sought-after EVs available on the market due to the spectacular debuts of Rivian, Ford, and GMC. More automakers are now joining the bandwagon.