Nissan's zero-emission Leaf car has been getting a lot of media attention because it's environmentally friendly and very affordable for the ordinary consumer. Nissan is upping the ante with its new smart home that is totally off-the-grid and powered by the Leaf EV.

The Leaf or Leading, Environmentally friendly, Affordable, Family car, is Nissan's economically competitive electric car. Nissan is also planning on making the Leaf a secondary power source for houses. Nissan demonstrated a smart house at the Tokyo Motor Show. The new technology called Smart Home Charging will be available in Japan in early 2012. The Smart Home Charging technology is designed to wean households from the national electric grid by using the electricity supplied by the Leaf. The car can also be used as an emergency generator in the case of a black out.

The Leaf will be connected to the smart house via a Power Control System box. The Leaf can supply 24kW of juice which is more than enough to supply the Smart House. According to Nissan the average daily energy consumption of a Japanese house with lights, fan, TV, clock, mini fridge and air conditioner is around 10 to 12 kW well below the Leaf's battery supply.

The Smart House is equipped with solar cells and fuel cells so that the house can exist off the electrical grid. Any remaining energy can be used to power the Leaf. Owners can charge the car at night to take advantage of lower energy costs and to put less strain on the grid at peak times. Nissan is hoping to sell the Power Control System box around the end of March next year. The box is likely to cost around 500,000 Japanese yen or around $6200 Australian dollars.

Nissan is negotiating with governments and utility companies around the world to make a standard connection or wiring for the PCS box. Hitachi, Panasonic and Mitsubishi are also interested in marketing the box.

The Nissan Leaf is powered by laminated compact lithium-ion batteries which generate over 90kW of power. Its electric motor delivers 80kW/280Nm. With a fully charged battery it can drive 100 miles and deliver speeds of up to 140km/h. The Leaf can be charged at home through a 200V outlet for eight hours or 30 minutes using a quick charger. It costs $32,780 but governments like the U.S. and Canada are offering incentives to bring the price down. The Leaf is already on sale in Japan, Europe and the U.S. The Leaf will be available in Australia at least half-way through next year.