Nissan preps for next-gen LEAF EV production, but ‘a real challenge’ awaits
Nissan is preparing to begin production of the next-gen LEAF, which could happen as early as next March. Although work is already underway for the new EV, “a real challenge” awaits at Nissan’s Sunderland plant.
After ending production of the iconic LEAF electric car earlier this year, Nissan is preparing its Sunderland plant for a new electric era.
Although over 650,000 LEAF models have been sold globally, new competition has slowed sales. Nissan began building the LEAF at its Sunderland, UK plant in 2013, with over 280,000 built at the facility.
In November, Nissan announced a $3.8 billion (£3 billion) investment to upgrade the facility to build three new electric vehicles.
Nissan will build electric versions of some of its best-selling models, including the LEAF, Qashqai, and Juke. First up is the next-gen LEAF, which is expected to begin production trials in August.
With trials expected to run for six months, Nissan could begin next-gen LEAF production as early as March 2025. We could see Nissan’s electric car debut before the end of the year. However, that’s if everything goes smoothly.
After significant investments, Nissan is committed to building EVs in the UK. However, it is “not without its handicaps,” according to Alan Johnson, vice president of the company’s regional manufacturing.
“It’s a real challenge,” Johnson told Autocar recently. He added that building EVs in the UK “can work,” but only if “all the stars align.”
“When it comes to competing against other countries, there are a fair number of handicaps in the UK.”
Johnson referred to the lack of “good solid policies” and difficulties in building a regional supply chain. According to Johnson, the biggest challenge is the cost of energy. “We pay sometimes twice what is paid in mainland Europe,” which can drastically reduce profits.
Nissan is preparing for next-gen LEAF production
To combat higher energy costs, Nissan is boosting renewable energy use at the plant. Around 20% of the factory’s energy use (roughly 250 MW a week) is generated from on-site wind and solar farms.
Nissan plans to reach 100% renewable energy use, but no timeline is set. The plant’s upgrade includes a new battery factory to supply the next-gen LEAF and another gigafactory not too far away.
Engineering manager Guy Reid told Autocar that this is the start of a new era at the plant. However, Reid added, “Significant changes are needed to open up a line that has been building ICE cars for over 30 years.”
Like other automakers have found, new tech and machinery are needed to move the heavy weight of EV batteries efficiently. In addition, the plant’s staff is being upskilled for EV production.
“That creates its own challenges,” according to plant boss Adam Pennick. Nissan plans to expand its workforce significantly at the plant as it looks to ramp up output.
Nissan has said the next-gen LEAF is previewed in its Chill-Out concept. According to sources, it will be closer to a crossover coupe with a complete redesign. It will still remain smaller and sportier than the Qashqai and Juke.
One source said its design was closer to that of Ariya, Nissan’s electric SUV. Another source described it as a “mini Ariya.” Meanwhile, Nissan told dealers it will feature a radical design upgrade and pack 25% more range to make it more competitive.
Electrek’s Take
With sales of the current LEAF model falling out of favor, it’s time for an upgrade. LEAF sales are down significantly in every major sales market over the past year as new EVs hit the market.
Meanwhile, Nissan’s Ariya is picking up the slack. Through March, Nissan Ariya sales reached 4,142 in the US and 4,050 in Europe. With the next-gen LEAF’s debut in sight and two electric SUVs to follow, Nissan expects the momentum to continue.
What do you guys think? Will Nissan’s new LEAF revive sales? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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As electric bikes and e-scooters continue to surge in popularity, and as the growing ridership skews towards younger operators with growing questions about safety and road rules, motorcycle training courses might be an unexpected ally. In Las Vegas, motorcycle safety instructors are expanding their classrooms to include e-bike and e-scooter riders, responding to a growing number of traffic incidents involving younger riders and micromobility vehicles.
The new program, led by instructors at the College of Southern Nevada (CSN) and supported by a grant from the Nevada Department of Public Safety, is designed to give e-bike and e-scooter riders formal safety training similar to what motorcycle riders have long had access to. The move comes as local officials report more than 200 traffic collisions involving juveniles during school hours this year alone, many occurring near school zones.
Unlike traditional motorcycle training, these new courses are tailored specifically to the realities of electric micromobility, reports local CBS affiliate KLAS. That includes understanding e-bike classifications, where different types of electric bikes are legally allowed to operate, lithium-ion battery safety, and practical crash-avoidance strategies for riding in mixed traffic. The goal isn’t to discourage riding, but rather to help riders better understand risk management before something goes wrong.
And to sweeten the deal even further, the class is actually free. Riders won’t need to pay tuition, purchase special equipment, or already own an e-bike to participate. The only real barrier is showing up. For many families, that removes one of the biggest hurdles to formal safety education, especially at a time when e-bikes are increasingly being used by teenagers for commuting to school, after-school jobs, and social activities.
The structure of the course also reflects how younger riders actually learn. Participants begin with an online, self-paced portion that covers the basics, followed by an in-person session focused on real-world riding scenarios. That hybrid approach mirrors what’s already common in motorcycle safety programs, but adapted for vehicles that are quieter, lighter, and often ridden without licensing requirements.
More of these e-bike training programs aimed at younger riders are popping up around the US. This kind of training could play an important role as e-bikes continue to blur the lines between bicycles, scooters, and mopeds. Many new riders jump on an e-bike with little understanding of stopping distances, speed differentials, or how drivers perceive them in traffic. Others may not realize that different e-bike classes come with different rules about bike lanes, paths, and road use. Formal instruction helps fill those gaps in a way that YouTube videos and warning labels often don’t.
There’s also a broader implication here for cities across the US. As e-bike adoption grows faster than infrastructure and regulation can keep up, education becomes one of the most effective tools available. Teaching riders how to safely interact with cars, pedestrians, and traditional cyclists may reduce crashes without resorting to heavy-handed restrictions or outright bans that often follow high-profile incidents.
For new riders especially, programs like this can make the difference between e-bikes feeling intimidating or empowering. Instead of learning through trial and error – or worse, through an accident – riders get guidance from instructors who already understand traffic dynamics and safety principles of two-wheeled vehicles.
The CSN e-bike and e-scooter safety courses are scheduled to begin in January, and if successful, they could perhaps serve as a model for similar programs elsewhere. As electric bikes continue to move from novelty to normal transportation, efforts like this suggest that the future of micromobility safety may look less like enforcement and more like education.
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Ford is jumping into the battery energy storage business, betting that booming demand from data centers and the electric grid can absorb the EV battery capacity it says it’s not using.
To achieve this, Ford plans to repurpose its existing EV battery manufacturing capacity in Glendale, Kentucky, into a dedicated hub for manufacturing battery energy storage systems.
Ford pivots from EVs to battery storage for data centers
Ford says it will invest about $2 billion over the next two years to scale the new business. The Kentucky site will be converted to build advanced battery energy storage systems larger than 5 megawatt-hours, including LFP prismatic cells, BESS modules, and 20-foot DC container systems — the kind of hardware increasingly used by data centers, utilities, and large-scale industrial companies.
The company plans to bring initial production online within 18 months, leaning on its manufacturing experience and licensed battery technology. By late 2027, Ford expects the business to deploy at least 20 gigawatt-hours of energy storage annually.
The move follows a joint venture disposition agreement reached last week between Ford, SK On, SK Battery America, and BlueOval SK. Under the agreement, a Ford subsidiary will independently own and operate the Kentucky battery plants, while SK On will fully own and operate the Tennessee battery plant.
Ford is also planning a separate energy storage play in Michigan. At BlueOval Battery Park Michigan in Marshall, the company will produce smaller amp-hour LFP prismatic cells for residential energy storage systems. That plant is on track to begin manufacturing in 2026, and it will also supply batteries for Ford’s upcoming midsize electric truck — the first model built on the company’s new Universal EV Platform.
Electrek’s Take
Overall, the shift reflects Ford’s broader push toward what it calls “higher-return opportunities.” Alongside taking a step backward to add more gas-powered trucks and vans to its US manufacturing footprint, Ford says it will no longer produce some larger EVs, such as the Lightning F-150, where softer demand and higher costs are resulting from the lack of support for EVs by the Trump administration. (Batteries produced at the Glendale plant were for the all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning. The best-selling electric truck in the US in Q3, before the federal tax credit expired, was the Ford F-150 Lightning, with 10,005 EVs sold, a 39.7% year-over-year increase.)
With tax credits eliminated and regulatory uncertainty, Ford is pivoting to adjacent markets, including grid-scale and residential energy storage, to keep its battery plants running and justify billions in sunk investment.
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