In Japan this week, Nissan unveiled a system for using their LEAF EV to power a house during a power outage or shortage.

The two-way charging device isn't a new concept, it's been part of the idea for EVs all along, but finally companies are producing the technology and nations are getting behind the idea of using EVs for extra power.  Denmark recently became the first country to create a program that pays EV owners for the power they feed back to the grid.

The two-way system is beneficial in two ways:  it lightens the load on the grid during peak hours and helps cover power shortages and it also allows EV owners to buy their power during cheaper night hours and then use it during more expensive peak hours.

The Nissan LEAF batteries can store up to 24kWh of electricity, which could power an average Japanese home for about two days.  If the system is just used during peak hours during the day though, the car would still have plenty of juice left for everyday trips.

In Japan where nuclear reactors have been taken offline since the tsunami, power shortages and blackouts have become more common.  Lithium ion storage batteries are available for homeowners to use as back-up power, but if you can use your car for the same purpose, it becomes more simplified.

via IT World

The White House, EPA, and NHTSA have announced new CAFE standards for cars and light trucks. CAFE is the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard which governs the efficiency of new vehicles. The new standards begin to take effect in the 2017 model year, when the fleet average should be 35.5 MPG (from the previous standard, which covers the 2012-2016 model years). The new rule extends to 2025, when average fuel economy for cars and light-duty trucks is to be 54.5 miles per gallon.

The new guidelines will almost double automotive fuel efficiency standards from where they were when the administration began to press for higher efficiency. "EPA currently intends to propose standards that would be projected to achieve, on an average industry fleet wide basis, 163 grams/mile of CO2 in model year 2025 (this would be equivalent, on a mpg-equivalent basis, to 54.5 mpg if all of the CO2 emissions reductions were achieved with fuel economy technology.)"

Under these new guidelines, consumers should save $1.7 trillion in fuel costs, and average fuel savings are expected to be worth $8,000 pre vehicle by 2025. Furthermore, emissions should be cut by 6 billion metric tons over the life of the program, which is "more than the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the United States last year."

image: U.S. National Archives