These are important times for Nissan. It became the original pathfinder for mass electric vehicle (EV) production after the launch of the Leaf back in 2009 – the first series-produced EV. Fast forward 15 years, and today Nissan is going all in on its electric future, with no less than £3billion worth of investment committed to its plans in the UK alone.
But what are the plans? Well, they’re moving fast – Nissan has already shared with us its business strategy, its planned EV ecosystem with roots in the North East of England and a handful of models so far in 2024. Oh, and a Qashqai facelift for good measure.
There’s a lot to discuss, so we’ve broken down what we know about Nissan’s electric cars, its plans for EV and battery production and what the future holds for the brand here. Read on to find out everything you need to know.
Which cars can I currently buy?
Though Nissan has many more EVs lined up before 2030 (more on that later), there are currently only two on sale in the UK today: the LEAF and the ARIYA. See below for more information on both models.
Nissan LEAF
As far as mass-produced EVs go, the Leaf was genesis – the original. It was unveiled at Nissan’s Yokohama headquarters in August 2009, following a series of Nissan electric concept cars. The first-generation Leaf was 1,500kg, powered by an 80kW electric motor and had a maximum range of just 138 miles. Despite the modest figures, however, it stayed in production for seven years, from 2010 to 2017.
In October of 2017, Nissan unveiled the second-generation Leaf, which is still in production today. It’s available with a 150hp electric motor while capable of a 168-mile maximum range. An enhanced variant known as the Leaf e+ was also on the market, with a 217hp motor and a max-range of 239 miles (according to WLTP), though it went out of production in 2022.
When the second-generation Leaf arrived, the automotive landscape was very far removed from how things are today. The Leaf had a good grip on the family EV market with little competition beyond Tesla Model 3s. Today, though, with so much more well-rounded and superior competition, Nissan’s share has waned, in the UK at least.
All that notwithstanding, it’s still on sale today with a starting price of £28,495. To learn more, be sure to read our full review of the Nissan Leaf for all the details.
Nissan Ariya
If you’d rather have an electric Nissan with a little more room inside, there’s a model for you, too. The Ariya is an electric compact crossover SUV that was first launched in 2022, representing Nissan’s first take on the zero-emissions SUV. It can be specified with either a 63kWh 217hp (160kW) electric motor or an 87kWh 242hp (178kW) motor on the higher-end models – the two offering a range of 251 miles and 330miles respectively, according to WLTP.
Dual-motor e-4orce variants of the more powerful cars are also available. They’re four-wheel drive and produce 394hp (290kW) for a 0-62mph time of 5.1 seconds and a quoted range of 319 miles. For more information, check out our full Nissan Ariya review.
What about the future?
Plenty of car manufacturers are investing heavily into an all-electric future, though few quite on the scale of Nissan. From a plethora of new models to a manufacturing plant that’s to be powered using 100% renewable energy from its own microgrid – this is no small-time operation. See below for a breakdown of Nissan’s future plans.
Sunderland plant and EV36Zero
Nissan has had a presence in Sunderland since the early 1980s, when it broke ground on a greenfield site to develop its first car production factory. Since then the plant has grown into the biggest automotive manufacturing hub in British history, though Nissan has no ambition to slow down now.
It recently announced that a total of £3bn will be invested into the site over the next few years, in large to fund the development of a third gigafactory for EV production.
The plant will become the home of Nissan’s future EV roster in the UK, including electric versions of the Qashqai and JUKE, as well as the third-generation LEAF. Nissan hasn’t revealed exactly when these cars will be launched, only that they’re coming. However, as part of an earlier announcement, Nissan did confirm that every car it releases in Europe from now on will be fully electric, with an ambitious 100% EV sales mix in Europe by 2030.
‘Exciting, electric vehicles are at the heart of our plans to achieve carbon neutrality,’ Nissan’s President and CEO Makoto Uchida said.
‘The EV36Zero project puts our Sunderland plant, Britain’s biggest ever car factory, at the heart of our future vision.’
But that’s not all. Nissan says the Sunderland plant will be powered by its own microgrid, using 100% renewable energy sourced from its own neighbouring wind and solar farms that’ve been developed in the area.
Not only will the energy be used to manufacture the production of electric vehicles but of batteries, too.
The Nissan Arc strategy
In early 2024, Nissan announced a new global business strategy called The Arc. It’s a two-part plan, split between a period from 2024 until 2026 and then a another period until 2030.
As part of the first stage, a total of 30 new models are to be launched worldwide to readdress the internal combustion engine (ICE) to EV balance in the manufacturer’s line up.
With 16 new electrified models and 14 new ICE cars due, by 2026 Nissan’s ICE mix will have dropped from 78% to 60%, while the mix of e-Power plug in hybrids and EV’s will both have risen to 20% from 13% and 9% respectively. The goal is to grow sales by a million unites by 2026 through launch strategies tailored to each region, all while achieving a higher level of profit and expediting the transition to EVs. Leading swiftly onto phase two…
Throughout the latter half of this decade, while diversifying its revenue streams and developing its vehicle tech, Nissan wants to address the cost position of the EV itself. The plan is to lower the prices of next-gen EVs by 30% and reach price parity with ICE cars by 2030.
It’s a tall ask, but Nissan says it can be achieved by grouping EVs into product families during development, investing in battery innovation and shortening production time through new manufacturing techniques.
It’s also announced plans to expand its battery production by partnering with different groups worldwide to bring a total global capacity of 135 gigawatt hours by 2030. Or enough energy to power your fridge for over 813,000 years.
So, there’s a lot on the way for Nissan, with no doubt more coming very soon. Be sure to check back here for all the latest information.
