Modifying the Nissan Leaf currently on sale, the Re-Leaf is a tough emergency rebuild that can provide power to disaster areas.
This is a car that would have been perfect just a few weeks ago in Melbourne. In the area where I’m located, the most severe winds I’ve ever experienced in my suburbs pulled trees out of the ground and destroyed the neighborhood. Power (and water) was turned off for days.
The Nissan Re-Leaf would have fixed half of that problem.
Based on the Leaf, the Re-Leaf adds some extra abilities to the Leaf hatch so that it can access hard to reach places and provide power. Providing power is the easy bit, as all Leafs (second-gen) have the ability already for Vehicle-To-Grid (V2G), or essentially using the battery pack power things like a house or street lights.
According to Nissan, between 24 and 48 hours are required to restore power in a natural disaster zone. That could be an earthquake of bushfire, or perhaps the chaotic winds we had. This concept would provide power to emergency services and those who require life-supporting medical equipment.
It features bi-directional charging (V2G), which allows it to both draw from and supply electricity to the grid. The Re-Leaf has three 230-volt plugs, and two are waterproof – one inside the boot and two on the outside.
The battery is a bit bigger than the normal Leaf, measuring 62kWh. Nissan claims this is good for powering things like fans, ventilators, LED floodlights, and even an electric jackhammer. Or it could power a house for up to six days.
To help it access hard-to-reach areas, the Re-Leaf features lifted suspension, underbody protection panels and 17-inch alloy wheels with BF Goodrich all-terrain tyres. Even the track width has been widened for stability. Added to this are mud flaps, LEF lights that strobe, and a cool 32-inch monitor for emergency services crews to utilise as a comms hub.
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