Nissan Motor Thailand today started a collaboration with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) to participate in the country’s first study on energy conversion between electric vehicles and electrical systems and power control from the Demand Response Control Center in Thailand.
Nissan and EGAT will conduct a field test of the Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology with Nissan LEAF owners using EGAT bidirectional charging. This marks the first and biggest scale of V2G testing with a large 40kWh capacity EV battery and the first-ever bi-directional charge for use with the Nissan LEAF in Thailand.
The collaboration inauguration ceremony, held today at EGAT’s headquarters, Nonthaburi, was presided over by H.E. Kazuya Nashida, the Japan Ambassador to Thailand, and Dr. Siri Jirapongphan, advisor to the Minister of Energy. The ceremony marks the official launch of the cooperation between Nissan Motor (Thailand) Co., td., and EGAT.
The partnership with EGAT is a part of Nissan’s Blue Switch activity aimed at creating a more sustainable Thai society by leveraging the unique capabilities of the Nissan LEAF beyond mobility to help address social issues such as carbon reduction, energy management, ecotourism, and disaster relief.
Isao Sekiguchi, Regional Vice President of Nissan ASEAN, and President of Nissan Motor Thailand, said, “Nissan has been in the Thai market for 70 years and our commitment to the country, especially in support of creating a more sustainable society through electrification, continues strong.”
“We thank EGAT for the partnership, and we hope this collaboration will benefit Thai society and contribute to the country’s carbon-neutral goals. Nissan continues to look forward to building more strategic partnerships with local governments and organizations in Thailand and in the region to contribute to a cleaner world and a sustainable society. ”
In November 2021, Nissan unveiled Ambition 2030, the company’s new long-term vision for empowering mobility and beyond, driving towards a cleaner, safer, and more inclusive world. One of the initiatives to support the goal is the Blue Switch program, which Nissan started in Thailand in January this year. In the Blue Switch program, Nissan has been working with local governments and partners to explore new ways of using EVs for purposes beyond mobility.
The Nissan LEAF is one of Thailand’s few battery electric vehicles with unique bi-directional charger technology, allowing EVs to plug into daily life in novel ways. Bi-directional charging technology not only charges the 40kWh Nissan LEAF batteries, but also sends energy stored in the vehicle’s battery back to the building or the grid, allowing LEAF owners with bi-directional chargers to use the vehicle’s battery capacity in many ways other than driving. Bi-directional Nissan LEAF vehicles can safely send energy stored in the battery to the grid during peak energy demand times. This creates a whole new experience for Nissan LEAF users in Thailand, as their EVs can be part of the new lifestyle of energy management. The Nissan LEAF’s stored power can be used in a variety of home and commercial applications, and it is also envisioned to help communities during power outages. The Nissan LEAF with its 40kwh large capacity batteries can provide electricity to Thai’s general households/family homes for 2-3 days.
Boonyanit Wongrukmit, EGAT Governor, said that the promoting EV in local market is a significant step to move Thailand forward to achieve carbon neutrality goal by 2050. As the country’s key player in assuring national energy security, EGAT has developed national grid and made it capable to support the increasing number of EV and the V2G technology. EGAT has designed and developed EGAT V2G &VPP system that controls power distribution from many EVs back to the grid at the same time. This virtual power will be distributed to the Demand Response Control Center (DRCC) under EGAT’s operations. The move supports the Virtual Power Plant (VPP) concept that allows for the purchase of excess power generated by EV batteries in the future. Such activity will act as the energy reserve system to be utilized during peak period, according to the Energy Policy and Planning Office (EPPO)’s Smart Grid development plan. As part of this plan, the ERC Sandbox Phase 2 was launched. The cooperation between EGAT and Nissan Motor Thailand, which is part of the ETC Sandbox, is important to finding the V2G technology that best suits the country’s demand and situation. The information collected from the project will be used for drafting relevant rules and regulations that best support the actual alternative energy consumption in the future.
The Nissan LEAF, which is the world’s first mass-market 100 percent electric, zero emission vehicle, and the Thai-made, award-winning Nissan Kicks e-POWER are two electrified models sold by Nissan in Thailand today. As a pioneer of EVs, Nissan has democratized EVs through the Nissan LEAF. Since the first generation in 2010 until today, more than 600,000 customers globally have switched to the Nissan LEAF. Nissan estimates that LEAF owners have driven their cars approximately 23 billion kilometers cumulatively worldwide, proving the reliability of Japanese EV technology.
SOURCE: Nissan
