Last month, a tripartite of major brands announce the launch of ChargeScape, an endeavor intended to better integrate the charging demands of electric vehicles to the nation’s power grid. Now, Nissan has joined the fray.
BMW, Ford, and Honda – and now Nissan – are all part of this ChargeScape joint venture, which is described as a software platform which integrates electron-hungry EVs into the power grid, shoring up its stability while allegedly saving drivers a few bucks on their charging. The software is designed to wirelessly connect with EVs and manage the flow of electricity in consideration of real-time grid conditions. They claim EV drivers have the potential to be rewarded financially for this flexibility yet promise vehicles will always be charged to desired levels by whatever time is specified by the user.
Participating utilities say this idea will temporarily reduce demand when the grid is strained through smart charging even potentially even send energy back into the network when needed. One presumes a vehicle and/or charging facilities capable of bidirectional charging is required to perform such a feat. Nissan is said to be investing heavily in this, while vehicles like the Ford F-150 Lightning are already packing this feature. Remember, we’re talking about bidirectional flow through the main charging port, not the commonly found household-style power outlets which pepper most EVs and can, in the case of a Lightning, provide just as much juice as a robust consumer-grade generator during a power outage.
Described as a tech company with offices in New York, the crew at ChargeScape list the automakers as ‘investors’, though it is noted Nissan takes a 25 percent stake in the joint venture by joining the fray. Using the ChargeScape backend software is a way for OEMs to roll out these types of charging features without needing to plow development dollars into an idea someone else has already sussed.
[Image: ChargeScape/Nissan/Ford]
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