Nissan to bolster UK electric-car strategy with battery push.
[BNN Bloomberg] Nissan Motor Co. is moving ahead with plans to expand electric-vehicle production in the U.K. and upgrade an existing battery factory operated by China’s Envision Group, according to a person familiar with the matter.The announcement, which will include expanding the Sunderland, England-based battery site, could come as early as this week, the person said, asking not to be identified as the plans are still confidential.
A U.K. battery project will be announced “very soon,” Envision Chief Executive Officer Lei Zhang told Bloomberg News. The plan is to increase battery output in the country, he said.
Spokespeople for Envision and Nissan declined to comment. Sky News first reported the timing.
The go-ahead for the U.K. would put Envision on an expansion course in Europe. The company said it plans to spend as much as 2 billion euros ($2.4 billion) on a battery plant in northern France to power an affordable range of Renault SA electric vehicles. Carmakers are accelerating plans for EVs as rules on emissions tighten and countries including the U.K. prepare to restrict sales of combustion-engine vehicles.
Nissan already makes the Leaf electric hatchback in Sunderland and procures batteries for the model from Envision AESC, the battery unit of the Shanghai-based parent.
Bolstering local battery production will be crucial for U.K. carmakers in the wake of the country’s exit from the European Union. The trade agreement reached in the waning days of 2020 forces manufacturers to source more of the content going into their vehicles and battery packs locally in order to qualify for tariff-free trade with the EU.
Nissan sold its controlling stake in its battery operations to Envision in 2018, though it retained a 20% holding of the group.
Nissan to Bolster U.K. Electric-Car Strategy With Battery Push, June 28, 2021
