Nissan expands battery facility

Nissan Motor Company has received approval to expand its enormous battery production plant in Tennessee.

A 2415-square-metre extension of its Smryna facility will be operated by subsidiary Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC), writes Green Car Reports.

The AESC plant produces lithium-ion batteries used to make the Leaf electric vehicle and runs in conjunction with Japan’s NEC electronics giant.

The facility employs roughly 8400 workers on the current 44,000-square-metre site which was built in 2012 southeast of Nashville.

Nissan announced in August it would sell the Smryna plant and its sister plant in Sunderland England, plus its battery engineering assets to China’s GRS Capital private investment firm.

Nissan is planning to buy NEC’s shares and divest itself of AESC into GSR Capital.

With AESC cells used in producing every Leaf and e-NV200 sold outside the United States, French alliance partner Renault has aligned with LG Chem to assist making its EVs.

The third-generation Leaf is expected to have a 400km range, with a 67% increase in energy density versus the 2010 model, including 38% more power (110kW) and 26% more torque (320Nm). It will also feature an e-Pdeal allowing for simpler starting and stopping with the use of one pedal.

The third-gen LEAF is expected in 2018.