Nissan launches £13.2 billion global electric vehicle venture – to build on £1 billion Wearside EV36Zero work

Car maker Nissan has unveiled £13.2 billion plans to drive up electric vehicle development in moves pioneered by work at its Sunderland factory.

The manufacturer is launching 23 new models, including 15 electric vehicles, in a move it says will create more than 3000 research and development jobs worldwide and electrify half its global production output by 2030.

Bosses say the blueprint, known as Nissan Ambition 2030, will follow its £1 billion Wearside-based EV36Zero venture, which pledges to “set a roadmap for the future” of electric transport.

Featuring a new factory alongside partner Envision AESC on the International Advanced Manufacturing Park – which officials say will create and support hundreds of North East jobs by making up to 100,000 electric vehicle batteries every year – the project will also see Nissan manufacture a new zero-emission vehicle in the region.

According to its Nissan Ambition 2030 plans, the company expects electric vehicles to account for more than 75 per cent of sales across Europe by 2026, and more than 55 per cent in Japan and 40 per cent in China in the same period.

Makoto Uchida, Nissan chief executive, said: “With Nissan Ambition 2030, we will drive the new age of electrification, advance technologies to reduce the carbon footprint and pursue new business opportunities.

“We want to transform Nissan to become a sustainable company that is truly needed by customers and society.”

Ashwani Gupta, Nissan chief operating officer, added: “We are proud of our long track record of innovation, and of our role in delivering the electric vehicle revolution.

“With our new ambition, we continue to take the lead in accelerating the natural shift to electric vehicles.”

Envision AESC’s Wearside factory proposals were approved by planners in October, who, at the time, described the vision as “game-changing” for the electric vehicle market.

Building work on International Advanced Manufacturing Park, which spans land in South Tyneside and Sunderland, is due to begin next year, with battery production earmarked to start in 2024.

Chris Caygill, Envision AESC’s UK managing director, said: “We are immensely proud of the work we have done with our partners Nissan UK and Sunderland City Council so far, which has laid the foundations for affordable electric vehicles and sustainable growth in the region for the next generations.

“As a growing global business, we will continue to push the boundaries of battery technology.”