Nissan LEAF EVs will power evacuation centers in Japan when disaster strikes
This week, Nissan Motor and Kotohira Town announced a new agreement to utilize electric vehicles, including the Nissan LEAF, as “driving storage batteries” to power evacuation centers in the event a natural disaster strikes Japan.
Japan’s vulnerability to natural disasters
It’s no secret that Japan is particularly vulnerable to natural disasters. The island nation lying off the east coast of Asia sticks is prone to earthquakes, typhoons, and other hazards as it sits along the Ring of Fire.
The Ring of Fire is an area along the Pacific Ocean where several tectonic plates meet, creating a string of underground volcanoes and earthquake epicenters.
Japan has responded to these threats with a disaster prevention budget that includes earthquake-quake-proof buildings, alert systems, evacuation centers, and more.
Extreme weather events like torrential rain from typhoons or earthquakes often damage homes and businesses, leading to mass evacuations. For example, record-breaking rainstorms (15 inches of rain in six hours) in 2020 damaged over 4,000 properties in southern and central Japan as 3.6 million people were asked to evacuate.
Last year, over eight million residents were ordered to take shelter in evacuation centers after Typhoon Nanmadol tore across the island, causing a level 5 alert – the highest on Japan’s disaster scale.
Nissan is partnering with Kotohira Town to ensure these facilities in Japan have power after a natural disaster strikes by providing its LEAF EV to supply electricity.
After a disaster, Nissan LEAF EVs will supply power in Japan
The new partnership is designed to raise environmental awareness and disaster prevention in a sustainable way.
According to the partnership agreement, when the power goes out in Kotohira Town, Japan, caused by a disaster, Nissan sales companies will lend their LEAF EV models free of charge to evacuation centers and other vital facilities in the best interest of the townspeople.
The EVs will also be used to supply electricity at events in town to spread the use of zero-emission electric cars even when a disaster has not happened. In addition to the partnership, Kotohira Town is actively pursuing sustainable development goals (SDGs) to build a resilient city for the future.
The town introduced a Nissan Sakura EV as a public vehicle and portable power device that it plans to introduce vehicle-to-home capabilities (V2H) to strengthen power resistance further.
Electrek’s Take
Nissan and Kotojira Town are stepping up to help protect the residents from climate hazards while promoting the best technology to help mitigate risks climate change can bring in the future.
As Nissan correctly stated, EVs are “driving storage batteries,” and it’s time to use them to their full potential.
With Japan’s low participation in fully electric vehicles thus far, hopefully, the new partnership can set an example of how the benefits of electric cars go beyond zero emissions.
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Environment
U.S. crude oil falls below $60 a barrel to lowest since 2021 on tariff-fueled recession fears
A view shows disused oil pump jacks at the Airankol oil field operated by Caspiy Neft in the Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan April 2, 2025.
Pavel Mikheyev | Reuters
U.S. oil prices dropped below $60 a barrel on Sunday on fears President Donald Trump’s global tariffs would push the U.S., and maybe the world, into a recession.
Futures tied to U.S. West Texas intermediate crude fell more than 3% to $59.74 on Sunday night. The move comes after back-to-back 6% declines last week. WTI is now at the lowest since April 2021.
Worries are mounting that tariffs could lead to higher prices for businesses, which could lead to a slowdown in economic activity that would ultimately hurt demand for oil.
Oil futures, 5 years
The tariffs, which are set to take effect this week, “would likely push the U.S. and possibly global economy into recession this year,” according to JPMorgan. The firm on Thursday raised its odds of a recession this year to 60% following the tariff rollout, up from 40%.
Fueled by incentives from the Illinois EPA and the state’s largest utility company, new EV registrations nearly quadrupled the 12% first-quarter increase in EV registrations nationally – and there are no signs the state is slowing down.
Despite the dramatic slowdown of Tesla’s US deliveries, sales of electric vehicles overall have perked up in recent months, with Illinois’ EV adoption rate well above the Q1 uptick nationally. Crain’s Chicago Business reports that the number of new EVs registered across the state totaled 9,821 January through March, compared with “just” 6,535 EVs registered in the state during the same period in 2024.
Those numbers represent more than 50% growth in EV registrations – far beyond the expected 12% first-quarter increase nationally being projected by Cox Automotive. (!)
What’s going on in Illinois?
While President Trump and Elmo were running for re-election, they campaigned on the threat promise of canceling the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs. Along with California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois’ Governor JB Pritzker made countermoves – launching a $4,000 rebate for new electric cars and up to $1,500 for the purchase of a new electric motorcycle.
At the same time, the state’s largest utility, ComEd, launched a $90 million EV incentive program featuring a new Point of Purchase initiative to deliver instant discounts to qualifying business and public sector customers who make the switch to electric vehicles. That program has driven a surge in Class 3-6 medium duty commercial EVs, which are eligible fro $20-30,000 in utility rebates on top of federal tax credits and other incentives (Class 1-2 EVs are eligible for up to $7,500).
We covered the launch of those incentives when the program was announced at Chicago Drives Electric last year, but the message here is simple: incentives work.
SOURCES: Chicago Business, Ray Cunningham; featured image by the author.
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The electric construction equipment experts at XCMG just released a new, 25 ton electric crawler excavator ahead of bauma 2025 – and they have their eye on the global urban construction, mine operations, and logistical material handling markets.
Powered by a high-capacity 400 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery capable of delivering up to 8 hours of continuous operation, the XE215EV electric excavator promises uninterrupted operation at a lower cost of ownership and with even less downtime than its diesel counterparts.
XCMG is delivering on part of that reduced downtime promise with the lower maintenance and easier repair needs of electric equipment, and delivering on the rest of it with lickety-quick DC fast charging that can recharge the machine’s massive battery in 1.5-2 hours … but that’s not the slick bit. The XCMG XE125EV can be powered up without leaving the job site thanks to its BYD battery swap technology.
We first covered XCMG and its battery swap technology back in January, and covered similar battery-swap tech being developed by MOOG Construction offshoot ZQUIP, as well – but while XCMG’s battery tech has been in production for several years, it’s still not widely known about in the West (even within the industry).
XCMG showed off its latest electric equipment at the December 2024 bauma China, including an updated version of its of its 85-ton autonomous electric mining truck that features a fully cab-less design – meaning there isn’t even a place for an operator to sit, let alone operate. And that’s too bad, because what operator wouldn’t want to experience an electric truck putting down 1070 hp more than 16,000 lb-ft of torque!?
Easy in, easy out
The best part? All of the company’s heavy equipment assets – from excavators to terminal tractors to dump trucks and wheel loaders – all use the same 400 kWh BYD battery packs, Milwaukee tool style. That means an equipment fleet can utilize x number of vehicles with a fraction of the total battery capacity and material needs of other asset brands. That’s not just a smart use of limited materials, it’s a smarter use of energy.
You can check out all the XE215EV’s specs at this tear sheet, and get an in-person look at the Chinese company’s latest electric excavator this week in Munich, Germany.
SOURCE | IMAGES: XCMG.
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