Nissan partners with U of T on climate-positive transportation research

The Japanese automaker announced a multi-year partnership with the University of Toronto, in collaboration with Climate Positive Energy.

Nissan and University of Toronto leaders outside Hart House with Nissan Ariya in the background — *Leaders from Nissan and the University of Toronto celebrate the signing of a multi-year research partnership. – Nissan Canada photo*

Nissan is partnering with the University of Toronto on research to help advance climate-positive transportation.

The Japanese automaker, which already produces mass-market electric vehicles, announced the partnership with Canada’s top research institution on Aug. 28. The multi-year partnership also involves Climate Positive Energy, which is U of T’s centre for interdisciplinary clean energy research.

With this partnership, Nissan joins U of T’s Electric Vehicle Research Centre and Grid Modernization Centre, with an aim of accelerating the development of climate-positive technologies and cleaner, smarter mobility.

“Electric vehicles have the potential to not only decarbonize everyday transportation for drivers, but also to serve as a crucial part of smarter, greener, stronger electrical grids for the future,” said Atsushi Teraji, general manager, EV System Laboratory, Nissan Motor Corp. Japan, in a news release. “Collaborative research with the University of Toronto in this crucial field will help us develop real-world applications for the power of EVs and V2X technology.”

V2X technologies are intended to allow EV batteries to be used as part of energy sourcing, such as by allowing EV owners to power devices and even their homes during power outages, or to supply power back to the grid during peak demand situations.

The company’s Leaf currently has vehicle-to-load (V2L) connections, which enable it to power small- and medium-sized devices from the vehicle’s battery. In some markets, including in Japan, the Leaf has vehicle-to-home (V2H) functionality, which allows it to send power back to a home or receive solar-generated energy.

Nissan said it hopes to leverage U of T’s advanced research to enhance the performance, efficiency and real-world deployment vehicle-to-grid (V2G) systems worldwide.

Electric Vehicle Research Centre

U of T’s Electric Vehicle Research Centre is a university-industry research hub that aims to advance the next generation of EV technologies.

The centre is led by Prof. Olivier Trescases.

The centre has a focus to support the transition to sustainable transportation through research in EV power electronics, automotive semiconductors, battery systems, and charging infrastructure. The hub brings together researchers across departments and collaborates with industry, utilities, and governments to address critical challenges in electrified transportation.

Nissan said its knowledge in the EV space will bring valuable industry insights and real-world challenges that will help ground the academic research in practical applications. The automaker said this knowledge should help the Grid Modernization Centre advance Canada’s commitment to reaching net-zero by 2050.