Nissan Announces £1 Billion EV Hub — EV36Zero
If you had asked someone 10 years ago to name an automaker that was leading on electric vehicles, it’s likely the person would say Nissan. If you ask the same question today, I think you’d find a different answer. Just take a look at EV sales in Europe, the US, or China to understand why. Though, Nissan may be intent on changing the story again — on the east side of the Atlantic, at least. In the UK, in particular, Nissan is pumping in a considerable chunk of coin to try to regain its leadership position.
Nissan chose Sunderland, where it already produces the LEAF, to host its “flagship Electric Vehicle (EV) Hub,” EV36Zero. Somehow, this hub launches a “360-degree solution for zero-emission motoring.” We’ll get into what that means in a moment.
Nissan, Envision AESC, and Sunderland City Council are putting £1 billion into the project to start.
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs, & Politics
Even UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is getting behind the project. “Nissan’s announcement to build its new-generation all-electric vehicle in Sunderland, alongside a new gigafactory from Envision-AESC, is a major vote of confidence in the UK and our highly-skilled workers in the North East.
“Building on over 30 years of history in the area, this is a pivotal moment in our electric vehicle revolution and securing its future for decades to come.
“Commitments like these exemplify our ability to create hundreds of green jobs and boost British industry, whilst also allowing people to travel in an affordable and sustainable way so we can eliminate our contributions to climate change.”
Clearly, someone wrote that statement for Boris. It is a good one capturing some key points for both the UK and Nissan. Naturally, after Brexit, this kind of announcement is a huge deal that requires full vocal support from Boris and his clan. The EV36Zero project is supposed to create 6,200 jobs across Nissan and supplier companies — 909 new jobs at Nissan, 750 at Envision AESC, and more or less 4,500 others. It also reportedly protects 75 Nissan R&D jobs and 300 Envision AESC jobs.
Nissan’s Next Step
“This project comes as part of Nissan’s pioneering efforts to achieve carbon neutrality throughout the entire lifecycle of our products,” Nissan President and Chief Executive Officer, Makoto Uchida said. “Our comprehensive approach includes not only the development and production of EVs, but also the use of on-board batteries as energy storage and their reuse for secondary purposes.”
So, the “360” part of things seems to be that it’s not just about electric vehicle production, but also battery production and battery reuse. So, in essence, it is similar to Tesla’s gigafactory concept.
“Nissan EV36Zero will transform the idea of what is possible for our industry and set a roadmap for the future for all,” Nissan Chief Operating Officer Ashwani Gupta added. “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 new Nissan electric vehicle that will be a central focus of the fresh investments is not announced yet. More information will be coming later in the year.
#Nissan is driving towards carbon neutrality with a world-first EV manufacturing ecosystem ⚡
Announced today, Nissan 36Zero is a £1 billion flagship #EV Hub in Sunderland, UK, that will establish a new 360-degree solution for zero-emission motoring.
🖱: https://t.co/qCeehZydMl pic.twitter.com/m9QfdMS6Tb— Nissan Motor (@NissanMotor) July 1, 2021
Don’t Forget Envision AESC
The Envision AESC side of the EV Hub is focused on low-carbon production of batteries for Nissan vehicles in a modern battery production facility. The facility “will deploy integrated AIoT smart technology to monitor and optimize 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 a year.” Naturally, having the EV battery production so close to the vehicle production helps a great deal to cut down on shipping costs and emissions.
Envision AESC (formerly just AESC) actually opened the first EV battery factory in Europe when it set up shop in Sunderland back in 2012. Since then, it has produced enough EV battery cells, modules, and packs for 180,000 vehicles distributed across 44 countries. All of those batteries have gone into Nissan LEAF and Nissan eNV200 fully electric cars and vans.
“Supporting this new model allocation, Envision AESC will invest £450 million to build the UK’s first gigafactory on the International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP), adjacent to the Nissan plant, powered by renewable energy and pioneering next-generation battery technology.”
The £450 million investment gets battery production capacity up to 9 GWh at this site. However, it’s possible Envision AESC will invest another £1.8 billion and get that production capacity up to 25 GWh. It’s projected that would create 4,500 “high-value green jobs” by 2030. Furthermore, production capacity could rise all the way to 35 GWh based on current estimates.
It’s not clear what would cause the plant to grow to 25 GWh or 35 GWh rather than 9 GWh, but I presume the key questions are:
- How hard will Nissan work to sell its EVs?
- How competitive will its coming EV and any future versions of the LEAF and eNV200 be?
- How well will Nissan dealers sell its EVs?
- Will Nissan launch a serious marketing effort to grow its EV brand?
- Are Envision AESC’s future batteries genuinely competitive?
“The new plant will increase the cost-competitiveness of EV batteries produced in the UK, including through a new Gen5 battery cell with 30% more energy density which improves range and efficiency,” Nissan and Envision AESC state. “This commitment will power Nissan’s new vehicles, supporting the continued localization of vehicle parts and components with advanced technology. This will make batteries cheaper and EVs more accessible to a growing number of customers in the future.”
Nissan Still ♥ UK
“I am extremely proud that Nissan has not only reaffirmed its belief in Britain, but is doubling down on its long-standing commitment to our country,” UK Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng adds. “The cars made in this plant, using batteries made just down the road at the UK’s first at scale gigafactory, will have a huge role to play as we transition away from petrol and diesel cars and kick-start a domestic electric vehicle manufacturing base.”
To date, Nissan states that it has invested more than £5 billion ($6.9 billion) into the Sunderland EV factory. Aims of this investment have included:
- R&D at Nissan’s European Technical Centre in Cranfield, Bedfordshire
- Support for UK suppliers to transition to electric vehicles
- Plant competitiveness and environmental improvements
- Skills development in the Nissan workforce for future technologies
Long before the LEAF arrived, Nissan started producing vehicles in Sunderland in July 1986. Aside from the LEAF, Nissan also produces the Qashqai and Juke (not electric vehicles) in Sunderland at the moment.
Sunderland City Council is reportedly focused on advancing a 100% renewable electricity microgrid project to power the growing cleantech facilities in its jurisdiction. 10 solar farms totalling 132 MW of power capacity could be built to support this, and there’s already a good amount of wind power in the region. It could also include a large battery using second-life Nissan EV/Envision AESC batteries, perhaps totalling 1 MW in power capacity (a MWh figure was not mentioned).
Nissan announced that it planned to grow its own use of solar power at the Sunderland plant earlier this year.
Featured image courtesy of Nissan (CC BY-NC-ND license)
AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks speaks with President Donald J Trump as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House on Jan. 23, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Jabin Botsford | The Washington Post | Getty Images
As David Sacks, the newly appointed White House AI and crypto czar, collaborates with lawmakers on potential regulations for digital assets, one of the first things they’ll be focused on is stablecoins.
“They are very committed to moving legislation through the House and the Senate this year in order to provide that clear regulatory framework that the digital assets ecosystem needs to sustain innovation in the United States,” Sacks said on CNBC’s “Closing Bell Over Time” on Tuesday. “Moving legislation through Congress takes time, but I think this is something we could do in the next six months.”
Earlier in the day, Sacks joined leaders of the House and Senate committees for banking and finance for a press conference to talk about their early objectives for crypto policy, with the help of the SEC. It was part of a busy day in Washington for regulators and key players on Capitol Hill and in Trump’s White House to announce next steps in their digital currency plans.
“I look forward to working with each of you in creating a golden age in digital assets,” Sacks said at the press event.
He was flanked by Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), chairman of the Senate Banking committee, Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.), chair of the House Financial Services Committee, and Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), who heads the Senate Agriculture Committee.
The leaders said their first priority is supporting a stablecoin bill introduced by Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), who has proposed new rules for stablecoins to create a “clear regulatory framework” for their use. Stablecoins are a type of cryptocurrency whose value is pegged to a real-world asset, such as the U.S. dollar.
Stablecoins have been gaining popularity but mostly overseas. Lawmakers are now promoting U.S.-based stablecoin issuance, reinforcing the dollar’s dominance through digital finance. Supporters like Sacks say such a move could drive trillions of dollars in new demand for the dollar and help lower long-term interest rates.
David Sacks, U.S. President Donald Trump’s AI and Crypto Czar, listens to President Trump signs a series of executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House on January 23, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images
Sacks on Tuesday told CNBC that a top agenda item for his new task force is evaluating “the feasibility of a bitcoin reserve,” an idea President Donald Trump suggested during his campaign. Sacks noted that the president asked his digital assets working group to study “whether it’s feasible to create either a bitcoin reserve or some sort of digital asset stockpile.” He clarified that they “haven’t committed yet to doing it, but it’s one of the first things” they’ll be considering.
Also on Tuesday, the SEC made a major shift in its approach to digital asset regulation. Under new leadership, the agency announced it would open its doors to meetings with anyone interested in discussing crypto, an effort to show a clear contrast to former SEC Chair Gary Gensler, who emerged as an antagonist to the industry.
SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce, now leading the agency’s newly established Crypto Task Force, published a statement titled The Journey Begins. She said the idea is to create more transparent and predictable regulations, removing legal ambiguity and unnecessary roadblocks.
“The Task Force is working to help create a regulatory framework that both achieves the Commission’s important regulatory objectives — including protecting investors — and preserves industry’s ability to offer products and services,” Peirce wrote.
Priorities include clarifying which crypto assets fall under securities laws, crafting a path for token issuers to gain regulatory approval and ensuring compliance measures don’t stifle innovation. The group will also examine crypto lending, staking, exchange-traded products, and cross-border regulations. Peirce stressed that while the SEC aims to foster industry growth, it will not tolerate fraud.
The SEC said it’s actively soliciting input from the public. Firms and individuals can submit written feedback or request meetings with the task force.
Tuesday’s press conference was the first major policy event led by Sacks, who was named to the post in December. While he lacks direct control over regulatory agencies or congressional funding, Sacks’ close ties to the White House and Elon Musk have positioned him as a key figure in the administration.
In June, Sacks, previously a Trump critic, hosted a fundraiser at his Pacific Heights mansion that raised $12 million for the Republican leader’s presidential campaign.
Sacks was in Washington, D.C., for the inauguration last month and attended the Crypto Ball, surrounded by industry leaders and policymakers. He declared at the event that, “The war on crypto is over.” During Trump’s first week in office, Sacks stood alongside the president in the Oval Office as he signed an executive order on digital assets.
WATCH: Bringing people from tech industry to Washington is a positive
Several automakers, including Honda, Hyundai, Ford, and Kia, reported higher EV sales in the US in January. Here’s a look at some of the top-selling EV models (outside of Tesla) last month.
EV sales in the US by model in January 2025
With nearly 133,000 electric vehicles sold in December, EVs accounted for 8.8% of new car sales in the US, a new record.
According to Cox Automotive’s Kelley Blue Book, the strong end-of-year sales helped push total EV sales to 1.3 million in 2024, up 7.3% from 2024.
With Trump reportedly planning to end electric vehicle incentives, like the $7,500 federal tax credit, demand is expected to pick up as buyers look to lock in the savings before they disappear.
Several automakers reported US sales numbers for January, giving us a better idea of how the EV market is playing out.
Ford sold 5,666 EVs last month, up 21% and a new January record. The Mustang Mach-E had its best January with 3,529 models sold, up 173% from January 2024. Last year, the Mach-E was the second best-selling electric SUV behind Tesla’s Model Y. This year, it’s already losing ground.
Despite higher demand for the Mach-E, Ford F-150 Lightning sales slipped 15% to 1,907 units. Ford’s E-Transit electric van sales also fell 80%, with only 230 models sold last month.
Kia sold 1,542 EV6 models sold last month. However, sales of its three-row EV9 were down slightly (1,232 vs 1,408 in January 2023).
Sister company Hyundai notched double-digit sales growth with its popular EV models. As the upgraded 2025 model (with more range and an NACS port for charging at Tesla Superchargers) rolled out, Hyundai IONIQ 5 sales climbed 54%, with 2,250 units sold in January. Although IONIQ 6 sales were up 15% year over year (YOY), only 871 models were sold.
| EV model | January 2025 sales |
| Honda Prologue | 3,744 |
| Ford Mustang Mach-E | 3,529 |
| Hyundai IONIQ 5 | 2,250 |
| Ford F-150 Lightning | 1,907 |
| Kia EV6 | 1,542 |
| Kia EV9 | 1,232 |
| Subaru Solterra | 1,052 |
| Hyundai IONIQ 6 | 871 |
The biggest surprise, again, was Honda. Honda’s electric Prologue continued to take the US by storm with another 3,744 models sold last month.
After delivering the first models last March, the Prologue was the seventh best-selling EV in the US in 2024. Honda sold over 33,000 Prologue’s in the US in 2024, beating out the Chevy Equinox EV (28,874) and Rivian R1S (26,934).
GM doesn’t report monthly US sales numbers, so we’ll have to wait until April for quarterly sales to compare. Several others have yet to report January US sales. Check back for the latest numbers.
Tesla doesn’t report monthly US sales numbers, but earlier today, Electrek reported that the EV maker saw its first annual drop in sales in California last year.
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