According to reports, Nissan is progressing with its plan to build a battery factory in the UK in 2024 to support its transition to an EV-only range.
Citing three people close to the project, the Financial Times (FT) reports that the Japanese manufacturer is in “advanced talks” with the British government and is expected to make an official announcement on the outcome of the talks in the coming months.
Nissan is expanding its activities in the Tyne and Wear region with a view to making the UK its largest production center outside of Japan.
It recently outlined its intention to expand its Sunderland battery production plant, run by its engineering partner Envision, to provide larger power supplies for the UK-built Leaf, in accordance with UK rules. post-Brexit foreign trade.
The new plant would too far exceed the 1.9 GWh capacity of this existing facility (although it is smaller than Tesla’s 35 GWh site in Nevada), with production initially of 6 GWh and eventually reaching between 18 GWh and 20 GWh.
The site will again be managed by Envision, and the FT reports that it will have a production capacity of 200,000 units per year, creating “thousands of jobs”.
FT sources say Nissan wants “tens of millions of pounds” in support from the UK government and to ensure lower energy costs for operating the plant.
Nissan’s battery plant is said to be the second such facility in the UK, following the opening of Britishvolt’s £ 2.6 billion site in nearby Blyth in 2023. Designed by Pininfarina, the facility is expected to open have a capacity of 300,000 batteries per year by 2027 and create around 8,000 jobs. on site and in the supply chain.
While talks with Nissan are underway, the UK government is also reportedly holding talks with “several other potential gigafactory investors”. It is widely believed that the UK auto industry will become uncompetitive on a global scale without its own battery production facilities.
Rumors persist that Tesla may be considering its own battery factory in the UK, although that possibility was weakened in 2019 when the company chose to open a site near Berlin in Germany (which was recently plagued by permit delays and local opposition).
A recent visit to the UK by Tesla boss Elon Musk reignited suggestions that a Tesla production outpost here is back on the cards, although he has yet to comment publicly on this speculation. .
READ MORE
Northumberland site secured for UK’s first electric battery gigafactory
Start-up Britishvolt to open UK’s first gigafactory in South Wales
Tesla tied to new UK gigafactory in Somerset
Analysis: how Britain’s first gigafactory will change the industry
More about this article: Read More
Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-05-26 13:47:02
