Nissan Leaf homeowners are getting a brand new, higher-power, bidirectional charger choice
Utilizing the FE-20 bidirectional charger will not void the Leaf’s guarantee
Nissan did not say how a lot the FE-20 bidirectional charger prices
Nissan has accredited an up to date bidirectional charger to be used with its Leaf EV, giving homeowners an alternative choice for utilizing their vehicles as cellular vitality sources.
Nissan Leaf fashions have had the {hardware} for bidirectional charging since 2013, the automaker famous whereas saying approval of the brand new charger, the 20-kw Fermata Vitality FE-20. However Nissan did not formally allow or endorse use of the function within the U.S. till 2022, when it accredited use of the Fermata FE-15 charger. Like that 15-kw charger, the FE-20 can be utilized with out voiding a Leaf’s guarantee.
2025 Nissan Leaf
The FE-20 boasts some enhancements over the FE-15, together with 33% extra energy, an up to date design that lowers manufacturing prices, and a decrease retail worth, in line with Nissan, though the automaker didn’t quote a particular worth.
Nissan additionally guarantees a larger capacity to maneuver vitality backwards and forwards between the automotive and the grid than the FE-15 which, in a proof-of-concept check on the automaker’s Franklin, Tennessee, U.S. headquarters helped cut back electrical energy payments by $9,450 over 4 years. Fermata Vitality’s personal software program administration instrument will help homeowners obtain these financial savings by drawing energy from a automotive’s battery pack to assist energy buildings throughout high-demand, high-cost durations.
2025 Nissan Leaf
Different corporations, corresponding to Wallbox, market bidirectional chargers that might let householders use EVs as backup energy sources, however that depends on approval from automakers like Nissan. As with the FE-15, the the FE-20 charger was accredited to be used with the Leaf after it was confirmed to fulfill Nissan’s personal necessities and acquired UL 1741 certification.
Nissan hasn’t up to date the Leaf in a number of years, that means it is now the one EV nonetheless utilizing the CHAdeMO fast-charging customary. It additionally not qualifies for a federal EV tax credit score, but it surely’s nonetheless cheaper than the Nissan Versa economic system automotive, in some cases at the very least. Bidirectional charging supplies one more reason to think about the aged hatchback past a probably low buy worth.