The new 6GWh plant will be in Sunderland, UK.
The plant will produce up to 200,000 batteries.
Nissan was the first automaker to fully embraced electrification when it launched the Leaf back in 2010. In 2013, Nissan established battery production in Sunderland for the Leaf which quickly went on to become the best-selling EV in the world. Now, Nissan wants to build a much larger battery plant.
In order to make this happen, Nissan is asking the UK government to provide tens of millions of pounds to build a new electric car battery “gigafactory” according to The Guardian. The current plant, which employs 6,000 people, was threatened by a Brexit trade deal with tariffs and border checks. This no longer seems to be an issue given the plans for the new proposed factory.
Nissan’s Sunderland plant | Photo: Nissan
A spokesman for the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: “We are dedicated to securing gigafactories and continue to work closely with investors and vehicle manufacturers to progress plans to mass-produce batteries in the UK.”
The current plant is run by Nissan’s Chinese battery maker Envision AESC. This same entity would manage the new 6GWh plant will be in Sunderland.
