Nissan has announced plans to create a smart home that will be compatible with the Nissan LEAF. The idea may seem far-fetched and something out of a science fiction movie, but Technology Marketing Director Nobunori Suzuki insists that the car company is serious.
Nissan has developed, for production and sale, a smart home on stilts that will use the Nissan LEAF as its main energy source. The innovative smart house is called the “NSH-2012” and the idea, as a whole, is titled “LEAF to Home.”
The smart house is equipped with both solar cells and fuel cells to provide electricity for daily usage, especially since the LEAF vehicle does not generate power. The Nissan LEAF’s power controller, when hooked up to the house, can either charge the EV from an energy surplus or replenish the house’s supplies. According to Nissan, between the LEAF’s ability to act as a giant rolling battery and the house’s dual energy sources, it should be possible to live off the electric grid entirely.
According to Suzuki, as long as there are no hiccups, the NSH-2012 could go on sale by the end of 2011. “Development is nearly finished,” he said. “We’re in the middle of technical disclosures to the relevant appliance and home manufacturers, and if possible, the smart home will go on sale by the end of the year,” he revealed.
“Cars are used for transporting people and animals, and to have fun behind the wheel. This has been the measure of value of a car until now,” Suzuki added. “We would like to propose a car as not only a tool for driving, but also as a means of supporting energy use for a self-sufficient lifestyle. This is the kind of fun idea we want to make into reality.”
