Nissan offers to pay parking with surplus BEV energy.

The Japanese automaker, already spear-heading vehicle-to-grid projects earning cash for unused energy in several European countries, now sees parking as an extra incentive for consumers to consider switching to EVs. In what it claims to be a global first, EV drivers will be able to discharge power from their car’s battery pack to pay for parking while visiting the Nissan Pavilion exhibition space in Yokohama.

The company’s Nissan Energy Share and Nissan Energy Storage technologies allow electricity from EV batteries to be stored, shared and repurposed, for instance by powering homes or businesses. In Japan, Nissan has also entered agreements with local governments to use Leaf cars as mobile batteries that can supply energy during natural disasters. In another partnership, the company is repurposing used EV batteries to power streetlights.

The payment system is just one of the innovations customers can experience at the Pavilion, built to show how Nissan moves people to a better world. Visitors can eat at the Nissan Chaya Cafe, operating on power supplied by Nissan Leaf electric cars and solar energy. They can also try virtual experiences that allow them to feel the thrill of Formula E electric street racing or go for a ride in the all-new Nissan Ariya EV crossover. The 10,000-square-meter, zero-emission Pavilion is outfitted with solar panels and supplied with renewable hydroelectric power.

Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida, said: “The Pavilion is a place where customers can see, feel, and be inspired by our near-future vision for society and mobility. As the world shifts to electric mobility, EVs will be integrated into society in ways that go beyond just transportation.”