Nissan banks on BEVS

Nissan confirms it will make three battery electric vehicles (BEVs) at its Sunderland plant in the United Kingdom which will also require a third gigafactory.

Future BEVs include the Qashqai, Juke and a new Leaf.

Nissan says its EV commitment enables up to NZ$6.2 billion (three billion pounds) investment in the three models (based on its Hyper Urban, Hyper Punk and Chill-Out concepts respectively), battery production and infrastructure at the EV36Zero UK hub.

Wind power and solar farms (including Nissan’s 20MW solar farm) will be incorporated in the EV36Zero Microgrid, expected to deliver renewable energy to the Nissan plant and suppliers.

“Exciting electric vehicles are at the heart of our plans to achieve carbon neutrality,” says Nissan president and chief executive Makoto Uchida.

“With electric versions of our core European models on the way, we are accelerating towards a new era for Nissan, for industry and for our customers.

“The EV36Zero project puts our Sunderland plant, Britain’s biggest ever car factory, at the heart of our future vision. It means our UK team will be designing, engineering and manufacturing the vehicles of the future, driving us towards an all-electric future for Nissan in Europe.”

The announcement follows Nissan’s confirmation that all its new cars in Europe from now will be fully electric, and that it expects its passenger car line-up in Europe to be 100% electric by 2030 when it also expects to become a truly sustainable company.

UK prime minister Rishi Sunak says the investment is a massive vote of confidence in the UK’s automotive industry, which already contributes NZ$147 billion (71 billion pounds) annually to the country’s economy.

“This venture will no doubt secure Sunderland’s future as the UK’s Silicon Valley for electric vehicle innovation and manufacturing.”

Nissan says further information about the three models – including names, specifications and launch dates – will be released later.