Using your car as a backup generator

We've written previously about Nissan's plans to create technology that would allow an EV not only to draw power from your home's electrical grid, but also to use the car's battery to power a home.

Earlier this week, the automaker presented this technology, which allows the Nissan Leaf to not only charge via a quick charging port, but to double as an electrical power generator, via its lithium-ion batteries. According to the automaker, the initiative is "part of its comprehensive efforts toward the realization of a zero-emissions society."

Through this system, the energy stored in the Leaf's battery can be distributed to a house by way of the home's electricity distribution panel, using the Leaf's quick charging port. The car's Lithium-ion batteries can store as much as 24kWh of energy - almost as much as the average American household uses in a normal day.

With this system in place, the EVs would not only provide transportation, a charged Nissan Leaf could also function as backup generators in the event of a power shortage. Nissan hopes to make the technology commercially available by the end of this fiscal year.

What do you think? If this technology were readily available to electric vehicle owners, would you be more inclined to purchase an EV?

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com