Prime Minister Boris Johnson heaped praise on the project
Nissan (TYO:7201) has revealed plans to expand its production of electric vehicles at its plant in Sunderland.
The move, which will involve building its electric model on site, could help to create up to 1,650 new jobs.
It will make Nissan’s Sunderland plant the largest battery ‘gigafactory‘ in the UK.
The Japanese carmaker reaffirmed its ambition to work towards a net-zero future, as the government’s pending ban on diesel and petrol cars draws closer by the day.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson heaped praise on the project, while the government is rumoured to have contributed to the funding of the project.
More details regarding the specifications of the new vehicle will be revealed closer to the launch date of the car, while other production locations have not yet been disclosed.
The plan is for the new gigafactory to power 100,000 Nissan electric cars per year.
“This is a landmark day for Nissan, our partners, the UK and the automotive industry as a whole,” said Nissan chief operating officer Ashwani Gupta. Nissan EV36Zero will transform the idea of what is possible for our industry and set a roadmap for the future for all.”
“We reached a new frontier with the Nissan Leaf, the world’s first mass-market all-electric vehicle. Now, with our partners, Nissan will pioneer the next phase of the automotive industry as we accelerate towards full electrification and carbon neutrality.”
The projected number of electric vehicles on the road is of 51.7 million by 2025 and 144.3 million by 2030. The question is, who will manage to grab a decent portion of the market? What will become of Tesla? And what are real threats to the electric vehicle market?
Read more about electric vehicle threats that keep Elon Musk up at night here.
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