Nissan Target Tesla’s Powerwall with their xStorage Battery

Tesla may appear to be at the forefront of bringing modern clean power to the masses, but they aren’t the only company with visions of an emissions-free future. Now Nissan is kicking off their efforts to create the zero-emission cities of the future with their “xStorage” system, a newly announced home located energy hoarding system that seems awfully reminiscent of Tesla’s Powerwall battery.

The concept is relatively simple, the battery charges up either via renewable sources such as solar panels or by using cheaper off-peak electricity and then stores it for use at the homeowner’s convenience. This allows users to both save money on their electricity as well as store cleanly harvested energy for when it is actually needed, instead of it only offering a benefit while power is being generated. The power that is stored is controlled via a smartphone app, with the ability to switch the battery between charging and draining states and even the option to sell the power back to the grid during periods of high demand.

What sets xStorage apart from Tesla and Mercedes’ home battery offering is that they are driven by recycled electric vehicle batteries, making them even more environmentally friendly than their rivals. Nissan already has experience in reusing batteries from the Leaf EVs in the commercial sector, however, this is their first effort to also push into the residential market. Pre-orders of the unit are expected to open in September in Europe and will set you back €4,000/£3,200. For this sum, you will get an xStorage unit capable of holding around 4.2kWh of electricity at a time and the price includes any and all installation charges for the device. Unfortunately for those in the US, there are currently no plans to make this residential battery system available.

Along the same lines as the xStorage system, Nissan also announced a new trial of their Vehicle to Grid (V2G) system in the UK. V2G aims to offer many of the same benefits as the residential battery, but instead it connects to the battery in your EV instead of one mounted in your home. The program has already undergone limited trials in Denmark from January and this new UK trial will involve 100 Leaf and e-NV200 vehicles owned by both privately and commercially.