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)
BYD is coming off its best sales month of the year after slashing EV prices in late May. However, it may not be enough, as several sources claim BYD is cutting production in China due to slowing sales.
Why is BYD cutting EV production in China?
With nearly 382,476 new energy vehicles (NEVs) sold globally in May, BYD notched its best sales month of 2025.
Like most carmakers in China, BYD reports monthly NEV sales, which include fully electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).
BYD’s sales are up 39% through the first five months of the year, with over 1.76 million NEVs sold worldwide. Not including its commercial vehicles, BYD’s passenger vehicle sales are up 37% through May, with over 1.73 million units sold.
Its battery-electric vehicles (EVs) are leading the growth, with sales up 40% through the first five months of 2025 compared to the same period last year.
According to a few sources, it may still not be enough as BYD vehicles begin to pile up in China. Two people close to the matter told Reuters on Wednesday that BYD has trimmed production at several factories in China. It’s also reportedly delaying plans to add lines to expand output.
The sources claimed that BYD has cut night shifts and reduced capacity at some plants by at least a third as it faces rising inventory.
Although BYD has yet to confirm, one of the sources reported that at least four BYD plants are now operating at a slower pace.
One source said that the move was aimed at cutting costs and improving efficiency, while the other claimed it was due to BYD failing to meet its sales target.
If true, the claims could be pretty significant, given BYD’s aggressive price cuts last month. On May 23, BYD slashed prices by up to 34% on 22 of its vehicles.
BYD still expects to sell around 5.5 million vehicles this year, a nearly 30% increase from 2024. Last year, BYD sold over 4.72 million NEVs, up 41% from 2023. However, its annual growth rate has slowed over the past few years.
According to data from CnEVPost, BYD’s annual sales growth rate has declined from 218% in 2021 to 208% in 2022 and 62% in 2023.
A survey from the China Automotive Dealer Association last month found that BYD dealers held one of the highest inventory levels, with an average of 3.21 months. In comparison, the industry-wide average was 1.38 months.
Electrek’s Take
With an intensifying EV price war and a wave of low-cost domestic cars flooding the market, Chinese automakers, including BYD, are now looking overseas to drive growth.
BYD is coming off its sixth straight month with record overseas sales in May after selling over 89,000 NEVs outside of China.
After it topped Tesla in monthly vehicle registrations in Europe and the UK this year, BYD launched its most affordable EV earlier this month. The Dolphin Surf is the European version of its top-selling Seagull EV, which can be bought for under $8,000 in China right now.
BYD’s Dolphin Surf arrives as one of the most affordable vehicles in the UK, starting at just £18,650 (about $25,000).
During the launch event, BYD’s special advisor for Europe, Alfredo Altavilla, called (via Autocar) the Dolphin Surf “the missing piece in the A/B-segment.”
According to Altavilla, BYD is launching vehicles in Europe at a faster rate than any other carmaker. “I have zero problem in saying I don’t think there has ever been such a product offensive done in Europe as the one BYD is doing,” he said during the event.
BYD’s sales are expected to double in Europe this year to around 186,000 units. By 2029, S&P Global Mobility forecasts BYD’s sales could reach around 400,000 in Europe. Between its new plants in Hungary and Turkey, BYD is expected to have a combined annual production capacity of over 500,000 units.
And Europe is just one global market. BYD is already a leading EV brand in overseas markets like Brazil, Thailand, Australia, and several other key markets.
Even if the sources’ claims that BYD is cutting production in China are true, the world’s leading EV maker is still expected to see significant growth overseas over the next few years.
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Aventon, one of the main electric bike makers in the US market, is quietly leveling up the power of its e-bike line, all without needing to buy a new bike. The brand announced yesterday that an over-the-air firmware rollout would activate a new Boost Mode on all its ACU-equipped hub-drive bikes.
According to the company, the update would result in a 20% surge in torque and peak power for up to 30 seconds. The new Boost Mode works in both throttle and pedal-assist riding.
Accessible through Aventon ’s app, Boost Mode gives riders a temporary burst of power in any riding condition, whether tackling a brutal hill or hauling serious cargo while getting rolling after a red light.
That 20% boost might not sound earth-shattering, but on a steep grade or under heavy load, it translates to meaningful assist: stronger acceleration, easier climbs, and more confidence for riders trying to get rolling quickly.
Once triggered via the mode selector, riders get a 30-second power window followed by a built-in cooldown to keep things reliable.
The update was announced in an email to Aventon’s rider community, though the performance increase included a humorous typo promising “20x” the power instead of 20% more power, which would have worked out to a power level roughly equivalent to a mid-range Zero electric motorcycle.
Aventon’s latest generation of smart bikes already come loaded with connectivity features like GPS tracking, anti-theft alarms, and remote locking thanks to the ACU (Aventon Control Unit). But until now, ride performance was limited to what came in the box.
Boost Mode changes that by allowing Aventon to push new power curves directly to riders’ bikes – no hardware swap required. It’s an interesting move that keeps older models feeling fresh and functional, achieving what many manufacturers only promise when launching a new model with claimed OTA update functionality.
JW Zhang, Aventon’s CEO, summed it up: “We’re excited to deliver more features and performance to our riders and continue to lead the category in ride experience and value and technology. When we launched our first ACU bike we promised there was room for additional features and this is just the beginning.”
Just the beginning, you say? Do tell…
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U.S. crude oil futures rose 1% on Wednesday, after the Iran-Israel ceasefire triggered a steep selloff earlier this week.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures contracts rose 65 cents, or 1.01%, $65.02 per barrel by 9:00 a.m. ET. Global benchmark Brent was last up 69 cents, or 1.03%, at $67.83 per barrel.
Prices briefly jumped to five-month highs after the U.S. bombed three nuclear sites in Iran over the weekend. But futures rapidly sold off on Monday and Tuesday after Iran held back from targeting regional crude supplies, and President Donald Trump pushed Jerusalem and Tehran into a truce.
“With the announcement of a ceasefire [Monday], President Trump called time on the twelve-day Israel-Iran war after successfully executing an escalate to de-escalate strategy,” Helima Croft, head of global commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets, told clients in a note Tuesday.
“The worst appears over for now,” Croft said, “though the truce still remains fragile.”
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