Nissan and Eaton Enter Landmark Partnership for Battery System

Just recently, Japanese automaker Nissan has entered into a landmark partnership with power management specialist Eaton to ensure that the batteries powering electric vehicles (EVs) work to reduce the impact of climate change after the car’s life.

The two companies will combine their know-how in Li-ion batteries and power electronics respectively, to provide the market with not just reliable but cost-competitive energy storage and control technologies.

As per the terms of the agreement, the collaboration will focus on the development of commercially viable energy storage and control centers that will provide Nissan’s Li-ion batteries with a sustainable ‘second life’ after their automotive usage. With over seven decades of EV heritage and more than five decades of experience in power electronics, Nissan and Eaton are all geared up to take on the challenge.

According to Robert Lujan, Electric Vehicle Director, Nissan Global, the batteries as power storage units outlive the typical life of the car. He said that in order to bring a commercially viable solution to the market, it requires Nissan’s battery expertise and Eaton’s experience in power management, control and integration. “This partnership is the first step in delivering a real world system for our customers in the near future.”

The initial module to be deployed will reportedly combine second-life LEAF batteries with Eaton’s uninterruptible power supply (UPS) technology and solar PV to build a stand-alone energy storage and control package that will enable customers to manage energy consumption and supply while independent of or connected to the grid. The storage and control module will provide an inexpensive, long-term method for exploiting clean energy, further enabling the deployment of renewable energy and enhanced grid stability and efficiency.

Lujan stressed that having produced their own batteries at their premier production sites, for several years; they would now be able to extend the life of their automotive batteries, thereby reducing the need to use extra resources from the planet to manufacture new batteries.

In a statement, Cyrille Brisson, Vice President Marketing, Eaton Electrical EMEA, said that these systems would enable the wider adoption and deployment of renewable generation; providing people with greater control over their energy supply and consumption. He enumerated the benefits of such a unit, including enhanced grid stability and efficiency, continuity of supply, prevention of peak energy tariffs and a reduction in the dependence on expensive fuels such as diesel to compensate for poor-grid or no-grid situations.

The announcement regarding the collaboration was made during the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21), for which the Renault-Nissan Alliance is offering a fleet of 200 EVs, including the Nissan LEAF, for participants.