Nissan Leaf and Solar Panels Eliminated Winery’s Electric Bill

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Dan Smith

2023 Nissan Leaf

Photo: Nissan

nissan leaf Not the flashiest electric car you can buy. It's a relatively basic hatchback that happens to be electric. With just over 200 horsepower, it can go about 200 miles on a single charge, and it's not as expensive as a Tesla. But that's all a normal person needs from an electric car. You can also use the battery to charge other things. This is being used to advantage by Australian winery owners.

electric report Joseph Evans, owner of Ballycroft Vineyard and Cellars in South Australia, uses Reef batteries to power his business at night and reduce electricity bills. He reportedly spends about $6,000 a year on electricity and decided to invest in solar panels. Doing so saved him about $4,000 on his electricity bill, but he still had to pay for it at night. Get in the Nissan Leaf.

Using the Leaf as a mobile power bank didn't just stop Evans from paying his electric bill. He actually says he makes a profit by selling power to the power company. “Our $6,000 annual electricity bill sells excess electricity back into the grid, making a profit of about $50 a week (more than $2,500 a year),” he says Evans.

Vehicle-to-grid charging only recently became an option for the Leaf, and Evans says it was a game changer for him. His solar his electricity bill is zero as long as his panels are working. Also, his house is located on the vineyard grounds, so there is no electricity bill for the house. He makes sure his Leaf is fully charged when the sun goes down, plugs it into a V2G charger, and uses that electricity to power his home. And he profits from the surplus power his system generates.

Sure, the Leaf isn't the only EV capable of two-way charging, but it's still cool to hear about people finding creative ways to reduce or eliminate their electricity bills.It's also great that an EV well below $40,000 can do that. average new car priceIt's not just EVs, it's pushing $50,000.