Nissan will launch a trial this year to allow electric car owners in Britain to sell electricity back to the National Grid and potentially make money in the process.
Major carmakers are investing heavily in electric cars and in Europe many countries have incentive schemes to get more people to buy them, including Norway, the Netherlands, France and Britain.
Around 3 percent of cars sold in Britain last year were alternative fuel models – primarily plug-in hybrid and electric cars – but sales have risen 24 percent so far this year, with manufacturers seeking to attract buyers in an increasingly competitive market.
Nissan said its trial with multinational power company Enel would be the first of its kind in Britain and involve 100 vehicle-to-grid units for private and business customers, which will allow them to sell back electricity to energy system operator National Grid.
“The value to the consumer is they can draw energy off-peak, so during the night,” Nissan Europe CEO Paul Willcox told Reuters. He said people could use that energy to power the car or use it to sell it back to the grid during peak time when they can make some revenue.
Nissan, which built almost a third of Britain’s total car output last year, said private and fleet owners of its compact Leaf model and e-NV200 electric van would have the chance to take part in the trial later this year.
