The transformation of the Sunderland site, a project called EV36Zero, includes the construction of a second battery factory next door to supply batteries for the next Leaf, and a third gigafactory also planned nearby. They will be run by Nissan’s Chinese partner, Envision.
Within the factory itself, the former Leaf battery assembly line is being converted for the electric Juke, due in around 2027. Engineering manager Guy Reid told Autocar that this is the beginning of a new era for the Sunderland plant, which opened in 1984 to build the Bluebird hatchback. “Significant changes are needed to open up a line that has been building ICE cars for over 30 years,” Reid said.
These changes include replacing the carriers that transport vehicles across the line because they won’t be able to support the extra weight of EVs.
Training the factory’s staff for EV production is another important strand of the investment package. All over the factory, in closed-off areas shielded from view by ‘top secret’ banners, employees are being upskilled in a wide array of different roles, and will then be “drip-fed” onto the new EV lines when they become operational.
Plant boss Adam Pennick said: “We have to upskill our whole plant. That creates its own challenges. We can maintain our quality reputation.”
The workforce is also in line to be significantly expanded, to cope with a drastic rise in the number of cars built at Sunderland. Projections suggest the plant’s 300,000-unit annual output could double when the new EVs come on stream. Nissan currently has around 7000 UK employees and claims to support around 30,000 jobs in the wider UK supply chain.
“These are exciting times for Nissan in Sunderland,” said Pennick.