Nissan has just announced the construction of a gigantic factory in Sunderland, UK, in a joint investment with Envision AESC that is around 1.17 billion euros and which is part of the EV36Zero project.
Centered around the Nissan plant in that UK city, the EV36Zero project will create 6,200 new jobs and will be instrumental in giving a major boost to Nissan's goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
The Nissan EV36Zero is based on three interlinked initiatives: the first is the construction of this gigantic factory, with an initial production capacity of 9 GWh; the second is the creation of a 100% renewable energy supply network in the city of Sunderland, based on wind and solar energy; finally, the third is the production of a new electric crossover in the UK.
Gigafactory can reach 35 GWh
Envision AESC already has Europe's first battery factory in Sunderland, established in 2012, and produces batteries for the Nissan LEAF. Now, it joins Nissan to create the first gigafactory in the UK, adjacent to the Japanese brand's factory in Sunderland.
The initial investment is approximately 1.17 billion euros — the Chinese from Envision AESC "advance" with 524 million euros immediately — and the production capacity of 9 GWh. However, there is potential for an investment of over 2.10 billion euros by Envision AESC, which would allow reaching 35 GWH.
Lei Zhang, founder and CEO of Envision GroupThe Envision Group's mission is to be the technology partner for global businesses, governments and cities. We are therefore delighted to be part of the EV36Zero with Nissan and Sunderland City Council. As part of this, Envision AESC will invest €524 million in a new gigafactory in Sunderland.
The new gigafactory will create, in a first phase, 750 new jobs and will safeguard the jobs of 300 current employees. In the future it could create another 4500 new jobs.
“Zero emissions” ecosystem
With the aim of turning Sunderland into an electric vehicle hub, Nissan has also announced a project in partnership with the city's municipality to create a 100% renewable energy network that will “save” 55,000 tonnes of carbon every year.With the ability to integrate existing wind and solar parks, this project aims to create a direct line to the Nissan plant, so that the energy used is completely “clean”.
With an initial investment of 93 million euros, this project also includes plans to create an energy storage system using used Nissan electric batteries, which will allow them to give them a “second life”.
Makoto Uchida, President and CEO of NissanThis project comes as part of Nissan's pioneering efforts to achieve carbon neutrality throughout the lifecycle of our products. Our comprehensive approach includes not only the development and production of EVs, but also the use of batteries as energy storage and their reuse for secondary purposes.
A new electric crossover
Nissan has ended this announcement, made live from its factory in Sunderland, with confirmation that it will launch a new electric crossover that will be built in the UK.
Discover your next car
The Japanese brand did not provide many details about this new model, but confirmed that it will be built on the CMF-EV platform of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance.
Although this new crossover shares the platform with Ariya (Nissan's first all-electric SUV) and is expected to rank below this model in Nissan's electric range.
Nissan and the United Kingdom: a 35-year-old “marriage”
It is precisely 35 years ago this month that Nissan started production in Sunderland. Since then, the brand's production facility in Sunderland has become the UK's largest car manufacturer, supporting the creation of 46,000 jobs.
Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United KingdomNissan's announcement to build its new generation all-electric vehicle in Sunderland, along with a new gigantic plant from Envision AESC, is a big vote of confidence in the UK and our highly skilled workers in the North East. Based on more than 30 years of history in the field, this is a pivotal moment in our electric vehicle revolution and secures your future for decades to come.