Nissan announces UK production for future generation EV batteries
22 January 2016
Nissan will produce a future generation of EV batteries at its manufacturing base in Sunderland, UK. Nissan’s UK battery plant is one of three Nissan battery production sites globally, also providing battery modules for Nissan’s all-electric van, the e-NV200, which is manufactured in the company’s plant in Barcelona, Spain.
Paving the way the future generation batteries will be a new £19.4-million (US$28-million) project that will team Nissan with new academic and technology partners in the UK, supported with a £9.7-million (US$14-million) grant from the UK’s Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC).
The Nissan-led future generation battery project is one of the projects selected for funding as part of APC 4, the Advanced Propulsion Centre’s fourth round of competition funding. Also receiving funding were consortia led by Morgan Motor Company; The London Taxi Company; AGM Batteries Ltd.; Jaguar Land Rover; and Parker Hannifin.
The other consortium members with Nissan are Hyperdrive Innovation, Warwick Manufacturing Group, University of Warwick, Newcastle University and Zero Carbon Futures, who will work together on key areas of battery development covering pilot projects, product diversification and process improvement.
How can Nissan mass produce new generation batteries with a small investment of less than $30M (USD) when TESLA/Panasonic battery factory will cost $5B (USD)?
Posted by: HarveyD | 22 January 2016 at 10:05 AM
They can't.
Posted by: Account Deleted | 22 January 2016 at 10:35 AM
More Nissan Vapor! Remember the NISMO Leaf, the Delta Race Car, the NISMO Race Car, the campaign to tell you that you don't need 'extra range' in a Leaf, etc. People buy into this stuff and then quote it in conversations online, completely forgetting to use their common sense of questioning the practicality of the nonsense...sad...many of the press releases from Nissan are for PR; simply a way to keep their company on the press RADAR. They all do it; but, Nissan and VW are especially good at it.
Posted by: Lad | 22 January 2016 at 12:58 PM
The plant had $600 million investment in 2013 (Nissan and UK Government) to produce 60,000 battery packs per annum. It has actually produced a fraction of this in three years! The additional investment is merely a statement from Nissan that it will stay in the UK and hopefully increase and upgrade its battery production in the next few years.
Posted by: laszlo | 22 January 2016 at 02:33 PM
additional production line for “30 kWh cells” in Smyrna, TN.
http://insideevs.com/nissans-battery-plant-in-sunderland-to-produce-next-gen-ev-batteries/
Posted by: SJC | 22 January 2016 at 09:38 PM
@ HarveyD
Well, first of all, the Tesla / Panasonic joint venture is starting from scratch whereas a Nissan production site already existed in the UK; the Nissan investment is merely an update of the existing facility.
Secondly, the Tesla plant produces everything from the primary cell to the final battery pack. As far as I know, the Nissan UK site produces only complete packs; the cells are produced in Japan and Tennessee and exported to the UK site.
And finally, Tesla will have a far greater output than the UK site.
Posted by: yoatmon | 23 January 2016 at 03:10 AM
@yoatmon:
Tks for additional info on this final battery pack assembly plant NOT to be compared with TESLA/Panasonic massive production of battery modules and various complete battery packs.
Posted by: HarveyD | 23 January 2016 at 11:15 AM