GE and Nissan collaborate to develop the US EV charging infrastructure
03 October 2011
GE and Nissan have announced a joint, two-year R&D collaboration to speed up the creation of a reliable charging infrastructure for electric vehicles like the Nissan LEAF. The announcement comes at what both companies hope is an inflection point in the electric car market in the US. GE and Nissan have pledged to combine their R&D resources to help that market grow by focusing on two key research areas.
GE’s Smart Grid lab at its global research centre in Niskayuna, New York, where its EV research is based
The first involves integrating electric vehicles with homes and buildings and the second, investigating EV charging dynamics and the future impact on the electricity grid once millions of EVs are on the road.
GE and Nissan researchers cite several key questions they hope to answer with this collaboration, including: How can smart energy management systems for homes and buildings be integrated with EV charging? How can energy storage systems and renewable power installations like home solar arrays be used to help manage and meet the power needs of EVs? What about a two-way power flow between the EV and the home — such as Nissan’s CHAdeMO quick charging port — that could reduce the home’s energy consumption from the grid during peak periods and also use the EV as an emergency backup power source?
Pictured here: GE’s Smart Grid lab at its global research centre in Niskayuna, New York, where its EV research is based.