Nissan to join UN global conference on disaster risk mitigation

Nissan Motor Co is to participate in the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (UNWCDRR), a United Nations-hosted conference being held to discuss international strategies for disaster risk reduction. The company will display its 100-percent electric-powered vehicles, the e-NV200 and Nissan Leaf. The UNWCDRR will be held in Sendai, northeastern Japan, from Saturday, March 14 to Wednesday, March 18, at the Sendai International Center.

During the conference Nissan will also introduce new uses for electric vehicles — which can be a vitally important aid to people's lives and contribute to society as means for transportation and a highly mobile source of power generation— from the time a disaster happens through to the stages of recovery. Vice-Chairman Toshiyuki Shiga, who served as chief of Nissan's Global Disaster Control Headquarters and oversaw the company's recovery activities following the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011, will join working sessions at the conference.

Nissan's electric vehicles can be used as mobile electric power sources in the event of a disaster. The large capacity lithium-ion battery of the e-NV200 and Nissan Leaf can store 24kWh of electric power. Combining the Nissan Leaf with a ‘Vehicle to Home’ power supply system makes it possible to use the vehicle as a backup power source during a disaster. The e-NV200 is also compatible with a ‘Vehicle to Home’ system and is equipped with two onboard 100V power outlets. With these features it is possible to supply up to 1,500W of electric power and employ EVs as a power source during a disaster. Furthermore, people can obtain emergency disaster information from the vehicle's radio and onboard navigation system or by using the onboard electric outlets to power a television.

During disasters, vehicles —and electric vehicles in particular— not only serve as a means of transportation but also provide functions such as electricity storage, electric power supply and communications. Accordingly, 100-percent electric-powered vehicles will likely play a key role in developing new possibilities for disaster risk reduction in the future. Expectations are high for the role that EVs can play in recovery efforts because, in prior disasters, electrical power has been restored faster than natural gas and water supply.