ISMR July/August 2021 | Page 12

INDUSTRY NEWS

Ashwani Gupta , Patrick Melia and Lei Zhang ( Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Envision Group ) at the unveiling .
UK Prime Minister , Boris Johnson , was present at the unveiling .

Nissan unveils a £ 1bn

Electric Vehicle hub

Nissan has unveiled Nissan EV36Zero , a £ 1 billion flagship Electric Vehicle ( EV ) Hub creating an electric vehicle ( EV ) manufacturing ecosystem . Centred around its record-breaking plant in Sunderland , UK , Nissan EV36Zero will , said Nissan , “ supercharge the company ’ s drive to carbon neutrality and establish a new 360-degree solution for zero-emission motoring .”
The transformational project has been launched with an initial £ 1bn investment by Nissan and its partners Envision AESC and Sunderland City Council . Comprised of three interconnected initiatives , Nissan EV36Zero brings together electric vehicles , renewable energy and battery production .
Building on Nissan ’ s 35 years of manufacturing in Sunderland , the projects announced represent 6,200 jobs at Nissan and its UK suppliers , including more than 900 new Nissan jobs and 750 new
Nissan unveils EV36Zero – Envision AESC jobs at its new smart , a £ 1bn Electric Vehicle Hub . low-carbon battery plant . Longer term , the transformational project modernises and expands Nissan ’ s EV production capability in the UK .
Envision AESC , the battery arm of global green tech company Envision Group , will deploy integrated AIoT smart technology to monitor and optimise energy consumption , manufacturing and maintenance at its new gigafactory , enabling it to rapidly increase production and provide batteries to power up to 100,000 Nissan electric vehicles per year . It will invest £ 450 million to build the UK ’ s first gigafactory , adjacent to the Nissan plant , powered by renewable energy and creating 750 jobs as well as safeguarding the jobs of 300 current employees .
The new plant will increase the costcompetitiveness of EV batteries produced in the UK , including through a new Gen5 battery cell with 30 % more energy density designed to improve range and efficiency . This commitment will power Nissan ’ s new vehicles , supporting the continued localisation of vehicle parts and components with advanced technology . This , said Nissan , will make batteries cheaper and EVs more accessible to a growing number of customers in the future .
“ As part of the £ 1 billion announcement , we will invest up to £ 423 million to produce a new-generation all-electric vehicle in the UK . Building on our expertise in crossovers and the worldwide success of the Nissan LEAF , we aim to make the switch to electric driving even more accessible . Designed for global markets , UK production will be exported to the European markets traditionally served by our Sunderland plant . The new crossover will be built on the Alliance CMF-EV platform , with a forecasted production capacity of up to 100,000 units to be installed ,” said Nissan .
Production in Sunderland is expected create 909 new jobs at the plant , and more than 4,500 in the UK supply chain , while safeguarding a further 75 R & D jobs . The transformational project takes the total capital investment by Nissan into the plant past £ 5bn , and also includes R & D at Nissan ’ s European Technical Centre in Cranfield , Bedfordshire ( UK ); support for UK suppliers to transition to electric vehicles ; plant competitiveness and environmental improvements as well as skills development in the Nissan workforce for future technologies .
Bringing this ecosystem together , Sunderland City Council is leading a project that aims to deliver a 100 % renewable electricity ‘ Microgrid ’ that will save 55,000 tonnes of carbon annually . With the ability to incorporate the existing Nissan wind and solar farms , initial plans suggest there could be as many as ten solar farms created , with an anticipated 132MW generation , and with a direct connection to renewable energy from the UK grid for ‘ firm ’ supply to Nissan and automotive companies located in the adjacent International Advanced Manufacturing Park ( IAMP ). Plans will continue to be developed in close discussion with potential private sector green investors .
A first-of-its-kind , this project is estimated to be an £ 80 million investment and also includes plans for a 1MW battery storage system using second-life Nissan EV / Envision AESC batteries , which will also allow for excess energy generated during daylight hours to be captured and used at another time , helping to balance demand on the grid . Additional infrastructure projects enabling the creation of the new EV Hub take the total initial investment above £ 1bn .
Current production in Sunderland includes the Nissan Qashqai , Juke and LEAF , most of which ( 70 %) are exported to mainland Europe , with 20 % sold in the UK and a further 10 % exported to markets than span the globe , from South America to Australia , and from the Nordics to South Africa . The new £ 1 billion Nissan EV36Zero development heralds the next phase of Nissan ’ s electrification plan and its UK operations . n
12 | sheetmetalplus . com | ISMR July / August 2021