Nissan announces $1.8b EV facility dubbed ‘EV36Zero’ in the UK

Nissan has revealed it will build a £1 billion (AU$1.84 billion) state-of-the-art electric manufacturing facility.

Called EV36Zero, the EV hub will be built at Nissan’s existing facilities at Sunderland in the North East of the United Kingdom.

The factory is the result of a collaborative effort between Nissan, battery manufacturer Envision AESC, and the Sunderland City Council.

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Nissan says EV36Zero will comprise three initiatives – electric vehicle manufacturing, renewable energy, and battery production.

According to the Japanese manufacturer, the facility will result in 6200 ‘green jobs’ being created for both Nissan and the UK supply base.

The gigafactory will start with a 9GWh-capacity. However, Nissan has left the door open for Envision ASEC to invest a further £1.8 billion into the facility, which would generate up to 25GWh. The automaker claims that even 35GWh on-site could be possible by 2030.

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the news signified the importance manufacturers still place on the UK's highly skilled workforce.

“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.”

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The manufacturing hub will be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy thanks to an onsite ‘Microgrid’.

Makoto Uchida, Nissan’s President and CEO, said the plant would be a beacon for the automaker’s carbon-neutral future.

“This project comes as part of Nissan's pioneering efforts to achieve carbon neutrality throughout the entire lifecycle of our products,” he said.

“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.

“Our announcement today comes out of lengthy discussions held within our teams and will greatly accelerate our efforts in Europe to achieve carbon neutrality.

“The experience and know-how gained through the project announced today will be shared globally, enhancing Nissan’s global competitiveness.”

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Nissan also announced that as part of EV36Zero’s £1 billion investment, up to £423 million of the funds would be put towards creating an all-new electric SUV crossover, which will be based on Renault-Nissan’s Alliance CMF-EV platform.

Whether this new model will be the upcoming Ariya SUV – revealed as a concept in July 2020 – or a new smaller model as reported by the UK's Auto Express in April, is still to be revealed.

The Yokohama company believes its new facility could be capable of producing as many as 100,000 units of the new crossover, which will offer next-gen vehicle styling, efficiency and battery technology.