Nissan, KEPCO and Sumitomo Electric launch VPP pilot program

Sixty electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles owned by customers and KEPCO will be outfitted with EV switches, which are control instruments for electric vehicle charging developed by KEPCO and Sumitomo Electric. Nissan, KEPCO and Sumitomo Electric will link their servers to enable remote-control charging, collect vehicle information and identify available charging capacity.

The test is the first of its kind in Japan. It is part of the Kansai VPP Project, a demonstration of virtual power plants – systems that integrate many types of power sources to create a reliable and flexible power supply. The purpose is to build up technical expertise and collect and analyze data to evaluate the use of electric vehicles as power sources.

Nissan makes the world’s best-selling electric vehicle, the Nissan LEAF. A new version of the zero-emission car went on sale in Japan in October.

Nissan, KEPCO and Sumitomo Electric are working together to achieve a low-carbon transportation future, effective energy use and a stable electricity supply as electric vehicles become widespread.