Envision AESC CEO Zhang Lei revealed recently that the upcoming battery gigafactory on the International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP), adjacent to the Nissan plant in Sunderland, UK, might have a higher manufacturing capacity than initially anticipated.
According to the first target, it was expected that the new factory will produce 9 GWh of lithium-ion cells annually, starting in 2024, with a potential to reach 35 GWh later.
The latest target is slightly higher - 11 GWh at the beginning and 38 GWh potential.
Envision AESC (formerly AESC - Nissan and NEC's JV - acquired by the Envision Group in 2019, in which Nissan - as far as we know - still holds a 20% share) is a battery arm of global green tech company Envision Group
The new Envision AESC plant is crucial to Nissan's plan to launch a new electric crossover/SUV, based on the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance's CMF-EV all-electric platform. This new model will replace the Nissan LEAF, which has been produced in Sunderland since 2012 alongside batteries at a much smaller 1.9 GWh plant at the site.
Zhang Lei said also that the company is looking for other automotive customers in the UK.
Let's summarize Envision AESC battery projects:
- Zama, Kanagawa, Japan - 2.6 GWh
- Smyrna, Tennessee, U.S. - 3.0 GWh
- Sunderland, UK - 1.9 GWh
- Wuxi, China - reportedly 3 GWh as of Summer 2021
(announced in 2019 with a target of 20 GWh)
Upcoming batteries plants:
- Ibaraki prefecture north of Tokyo, Japan - 6 GWh in 2023 and up to 18 GWh in the future
- Douai, France - 9 GWh by 2024 and 24 GWh by 2030 for Renault
(potentially 43 GWh total including other manufacturers, according to Bloomberg) - Sunderland, UK - 11 GWh (initially in 2024 with potential of 38 GWh in the future)
See also