Nissan receives $210,000 grant for EV charging project

Nissan Australia has announced it has been awarded a grant from the Victorian Government to fund its research project on electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions, in partnership with the CSIRO and Delta Energy Systems.

A sum of $210,000 has been approved from the New Energy Jobs Fund, and will help Nissan and its research partners look into off-grid charging infrastructure for EVs, and will run for 18 months.

The project will focus on using solar power and battery backup, along with the optimisation of EV charging profiles to reduce grid impact and maximise the use of renewable energy.

Delta will supply the charging systems, while the CSIRO will test its performance in various environmental conditions using the temperature control chamber at its Monash facility.

If the tests are successful, Nissan will deploy the charging stations at its Melbourne headquarters, where they'll be used to power a fleet of new-generation Leafs – which are still to be officially released in the Australian market.

"Developing alternative sources of energy is our priority as we pursue innovation in the electric vehicle space," said Stephen Lester, managing director for Nissan Australia.

"While it’s undeniable that the future is electric, we believe that it is important that the future of electric is also sustainable. That’s part of what defines intelligent mobility for us.”

Meanwhile, Minister Lily D'Ambrosio said: "The project will address a key need in the electric vehicle market by increasing the accessibility to charging stations for domestic, commercial and mobile customers".

"Such a benefit certainly will contribute to a more stable electrical grid, shorter payback time and more control for the user on charge rates.”

CarAdvice has reached out to the Electric Vehicle Council for further comments, and is awaiting a response.

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