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Do you find the future scary? Does all of the talk of autonomous cars skew too closely to films like Blade Runner or I, Robot where the machines have taken over? If so, you aren’t alone; we’ve actually had similar fears ourselves. However, now that Nissan has revealed its plans for the Fuel Station of the Future, it seems like perhaps we might be able to put technology to good use, and that the robots aren’t actively planning our demise.

The Nissan Fuel Station of the Future

The key to understanding the Nissan Fuel Station of the Future is this: it relies heavily on the unprecedented popularity of the 2016 Nissan LEAF. Since its unveiling in 2010, the LEAF has taken the EV segment by storm, and doubts about the viability of the necessary infrastructure (to say nothing of customer demand) have been totally squashed. Looking ahead even further, Nissan is now suggesting that the future might see the LEAF as a self-charging fuel station.
That’s right, folks; the Nissan Fuel Station of the Future is actually the LEAF itself.
Read More About the Nissan LEAF!

How will the Nissan Fuel Station of the Future Work?

We’ve embedded a video below that tells the tale better than we ever could but here’s the gist: Nissan will equip the LEAF with a self-charging battery pod that takes the power generated by solar, wind and hydroelectric sources. A grid will be embedded into the structure of the street, and will essentially power the LEAF (or any other EV, really) when it is parked above a charging bay. It’s essentially technology in the same vein as the wireless charging pads that can be purchased today, but on a larger scale. Then, when a car is fully charged,  the autonomous driving technology that Nissan has pioneered will move the LEAF off of the charging location, allowing other cars to use it. Yes, it’s ambitious, and yes, it’s genius, but it might just be possible.
The video below shows the Nissan Fuel Station of the Future in action, courtesy of the fine minds at Foster + Partners. We’re bullish about the possibility that we may see this technology at some point, so keep posted to Avondale Nissan, and feel free to visit us to see the 2016 Nissan LEAF!