Cannes Lions

THE REBORN LIGHT PROJECT

TBWA\HAKUHODO INC., Tokyo / NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD / 2019

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Demo Film
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Overview

Entries

Credits

Overview

Background

People believe that EVs are sustainable but it's not completely true.

Although EV uses high-performance batteries, they have battery life, and batteries that reach their end of life get discarded. Together with batteries, EV's sophisticated body parts are also disposed. EV batteries and body parts could have been repurposed after they finished serving in EVs. "Making EVs 100% sustainable." This was the major challenge we and our client embarked on.

Idea

Nissan has changed the cycle of EVs and created a new infrastructure.

Nissan transformed EV battery and body parts - from parts that finished their role in EVs to something that can be reborn and repurposed for people again.

Nissan had the idea of “THE REBORN LIGHT.”

Street lights were created by using discarded EV battery and body parts.

EV continues to illuminate streets and drivers brilliantly after it's reborn.

The more people drive EVs, the more infrastructure that doesn't rely on electricity will expand throughout the world.

EV is now 100% sustainable, recycled and transformed into a new environmentally friendly light.

Strategy

Although many car manufacturers are examining the way to recycle EV battery, it has not become an industry due to the high cost. Nissan considered that it will be more efficient to reuse batteries as a big rechargeable battery without separating and melting the battery. Also, focusing on the fact that battery is portable, we developed a new infrastructure by combining it with solar panel, allowing it to be used in any country and regions.

Execution

THE REBORN LIGHT does not require electrical power source.

Its energy is reserved during daytime using EV and solar power and illuminates at night.The main body of the light is made from recycled steel of EVs. Assuming the frequent natural disaster in Japan, it will never fall even under earthquakes and typhoons and its strength is secured based on calculated design.

As this light can reserve energy, even if there is no sunlight for five consecutive days, it is able to illuminate for 365 days.

Nissan decided to place this light in a place that is experiencing the most infrastructure shortage in Japan.

This light was placed at the National Route 114 in Namie-city, Fukushima – the town which was heavily damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake. THE REBORN LIGHT changed the town of Namie from the most destroyed town in Japan to the most sustainable town in Japan.

Outcome

THE REBORN LIGHT has supported the full-scale recovery of the National Route 114 in Namie-city that was dark and inconvenient. The improved conditions of the National Route 114 contributed to the facilitation of reconstruction works in Namie-city.

THE REBORN LIGHT developed a new eco-system of EV battery reuse and proved EV’s amazing potential to the world, which helped to increase the understanding of EV significance by 12 %.

More than 20 regions showed interest in this light and made inquiries about its installation.

Nissan plans to further expand this project and take it beyond Namie-city as well.

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THE REBORN LIGHT

TBWA\HAKUHODO INC., Tokyo

THE REBORN LIGHT

2019, NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD

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