Nissan today unveils Nissan EV36Zero, a £1 billion flagship electric vehicle (EV) hub creating a world-first electric car manufacturing ecosystem. It will be centred around Nissan UK’s plant in Sunderland and EV36Zero will supercharge the company’s drive to carbon neutrality and establish a new 360-degree solution for zero-emission motoring. This is a truly exciting moment for the UK motor industry and its future.
The transformational project has been launched with an initial £1 billion investment by Nissan and its partners Envision AESC, a global player in world-leading battery technology, and Sunderland City Council. It brings together electric vehicles, renewable energy and battery production, setting a blueprint for the future of the automotive industry.
As part of the £1 billion announcement, Nissan will invest up to £423 million to produce a new-generation all-electric vehicle in the UK. Building on Nissan’s worldwide success with the Nissan LEAF, it promises next-generation vehicle styling, efficiency and battery technology, making the switch to electric driving even more accessible.
Building on Nissan’s historic 35 years of manufacturing excellence in Sunderland, the projects announced today represent an impressive 6,200 jobs at Nissan and its UK suppliers. This includes more than 900 new Nissan jobs and 750 new Envision AESC jobs at its new smart, low-carbon battery plant. Plus, more than 4,500 in the UK supply chain, while safeguarding a further 75 R&D jobs.
Envision AESC will deploy integrated AIoT smart technology to monitor and optimise energy consumption, manufacturing and maintenance at its new gigafactory. This will enable it to rapidly increase production and provide batteries to power up to 100,000 Nissan electric vehicles a year.
Supporting this new model allocation, Envision AESC will invest £450 million to build the UK’s first gigafactory on the International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP). This is adjacent to the Nissan plant, powered by renewable energy and pioneering next-generation battery technology.
The formal planning process is about to begin for the new gigafactory, which represents an initial 9GWh plant. It will have the potential future-phase investment of £1.8 billion by Envision AESC, generating up to 25GWh and creating 4,500 new high-value green jobs in the region by 2030, with potential on-site for up to 35GWh.
The new plant will increase the cost-competitiveness of electric car batteries produced in the UK, including through a new Gen5 battery cell with 30 percent more energy density which improves range and efficiency.
This commitment will power Nissan’s new vehicles, supporting the continued localisation of vehicle parts and components with advanced technology. This will make batteries cheaper and electric cars more accessible to a growing number of customers in the future. The new gigafactory will create 750 jobs and safeguard the jobs of 300 current employees.
Along with zero-emission vehicles this ecosystem plans on zero-emission manufacturing. Sunderland City Council is leading a project that aims to deliver a 100 percent renewable electricity ‘Microgrid’ that will save 55,000 tonnes of carbon annually.
With the ability to incorporate the existing Nissan wind and solar farms, initial plans suggest there could be as many as ten new solar farms created. These will offer an anticipated 132MW generation, and with a direct connection to renewable energy from the UK grid for supply to Nissan and automotive companies located on the adjacent International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP).
Makoto Uchida, Nissan CEO, said: “This project comes as part of Nissan’s pioneering efforts to achieve carbon neutrality throughout the entire lifecycle of our products.
“Our comprehensive approach includes not only the development and production of EVs, but also the use of on-board batteries as energy storage and their reuse for secondary purposes.
“Nissan will continue to leverage its strengths in electrification to become a company that continues to provide value to its customers and society.”
Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister, said: “Nissan’s announcement to build its new-generation all-electric vehicle in Sunderland, alongside a new gigafactory from Envision-AESC, is a major vote of confidence in the UK and our highly-skilled workers in the North East.
“Building on over 30 years of history in the area, this is a pivotal moment in our electric vehicle revolution and securing its future for decades to come.
“Commitments like these exemplify our ability to create hundreds of green jobs and boost British industry, whilst also allowing people to travel in an affordable and sustainable way so we can eliminate our contributions to climate change.”
