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Nissan using old Leaf batteries in new solar charging stations

Nissan is putting old Leaf battery packs to use as storage for solar energy EV charging stations.

Liane Yvkoff
Liane Yvkoff is a freelance writer who blogs about cars for CNET Car Tech. E-mail Liane.
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Liane Yvkoff

Five 24 kWh lithium ion batteries from old Nissan Leafs store electricity for Nissan's test solar powered electric vehicle charging stations.
Five 24kWh lithium ion batteries from old Nissan Leafs store electricity for Nissan's test solar powered electric vehicle charging stations. Nissan

Nissan Leaf owners may be happy to know that after their vehicle's battery is retired, in its second life it will be put to good use, still powering EVs.

Nissan and 4R Energy Corporation announced development of a new solar-powered charging station that uses old Leaf batteries to store solar energy. The test station was revealed last week at Nissan's global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan. Three 50kW fast chargers and four standard EV chargers draw energy from the equivalent of five 24kWh Leaf battery packs that get their energy not from the grid, but from photovoltaic cells mounted on the building.

By using solar energy to power electric vehicles, Nissan's says its charging station will help make vehicles that are truly zero-emission. Unlike the solar charging stations Nissan is constructing in Smyrna, Tenn., the new system can be used 24 hours a day, because chargers draw energy from battery packs. Nissan says its system has the capacity to fully recharge 1,800 Nissan Leafs annually.