Crystal Nissan

Criticism surrounding the Nissan Leaf usually doesn't revolve around the vehicle's appearance, sustainability, or functionality; rather, critics wonder what will become of the Leaf's battery after it can no longer power the car. Nissan has been researching ways to recycle and reuse these batteries for a while now. One of the company's projects even suggested that the "old" Leaf batteries, even after becoming non-functional for the automobile, could still power several homes during times of power loss or emergency. Nissan has now proven this hypothesis with its Smart House, which debuted at the 2011 Toyko Motor show.

The 2011 Tokyo Motor Show is in for quite a surprise. Nissan will premier its eighth EV concept at the show this week. The vehicle has as very forward-thinking design and follows in the footsteps of the Nissan Leaf, along with several previous EV concept cars. The Nissan PIVO 3 concept car has several innovative features and is slated to appear around 2016 or 2017 if it hits production lines.