Nissan Australia will get a $210,000 grant from the Victorian Government for its research project on electric vehicle (EV) charging.
The project is in partnership with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Delta Energy Systems (Australia) Pty Ltd.
Approval for the grant from the New Energy Jobs Fund (NEJF) towards the 18-month research project has come from Victorian minister for energy, environment and climate change Lily D’Ambrosio.
The NEJF supports Victorian projects that create long-term sustainable jobs, increase the uptake of renewable energy generation, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and drive innovation in new energy technologies.
The joint research project aims to study off-grid EV charging, using solar power and battery backup, and the optimisation of EV charging profiles to reduce grid impact and maximise the use of renewable energy.
“Developing alternative sources of energy is our priority as we pursue innovation in the electric vehicle space,” Nissan Australia managing director Stephen Lester says.
“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.”
The Delta-designed system will undergo tests to confirm its performance in various environmental conditions in the temperature control chamber at the CSIRO Monash facility.
After these initial tests are successful, researchers will deploy the system at Nissan Australia’s Melbourne facility.
Here the system will undergo extensive field trials with a fleet of the new Nissan Leaf which awaits release in Australia.
D’Ambrosio addressed the positive impact renewable solutions will have on the community during her visit to the CSIRO Monash facility: “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.”
