- The Nissan Sunderland Plant has unveiled a new £1.4 million eHGV charging station, as Nissan hopes to transform its UK Sunderland site into a flagship EV hub.
- The installation is part of GRIDSERVE’s Electric Freightway project, which is funded by the UK Government through Innovate UK, which awards funding to projects right throughout the emobility sector.
- Seven charging stations on site will be able to charge up to 10 electric trucks simultaneously, and are set to support a fleet of 25 fully-electric HGVs which will operate to and from the Sunderland site for Nissan’s various logistical needs.
Nissan expands the sustainability of its Sunderland plant
The new charging station is expected to save up to 1,500 tonnes of logistics-related CO2 annually, and is the first of its kind within the UK automotive industry to establish a fully-electric end-to-end supply chain. Parts entering the plant will be transported on eHGVs, and finished cars exiting the plant will also be transported on eHGVs – with the travel distance of these operations totalling 2.4 million kilometres a year. The GRIDSERVE-led project brings together multiple players in the automotive and logistical sector, including Nissan, Fergusons, Yusen, and BCA.
Nissan’s Sunderland plant will soon be producing three fully-electric models, including the third-generation Nissan Leaf, along with the first all-electric iterations of its popular Qashqai and Juke models. Ensuring that the supply chain both in and out of the factory is provided by electric HGVs cements the site’s goal as a flagship EV hub, and could also put Nissan in a stronger position for its models to comply with the environmental criteria for the £3,750 Electric Car Grant, which was also announced this week.
Michael Simpson, Vice President of Supply Chain Management for Nissan AMIEO, commented:
“It is fantastic for our plant to be leading the charge to an electrified supply chain with this project. We welcome the support we’ve received from our partners to bring the charging station to life and we’re proud of what we have achieved. The charging station looks brilliant and is a big step forward in Nissan’s EV360 vision, which brings together electric vehicles. zero carbon energy and battery manufacturing.”
UK Minister for the Future of Roads, Lilian Greenwood, added:
“We’re working closely with the road freight sector to slash transport emissions, and our £200m zero emission HGV programme is helping businesses across the country to power the electrification of its fleets. It’s great to see Nissan taking advantage of our scheme which is supporting high paid jobs and putting money in the pockets of working people – all part of delivering our Plan for Change.”
The opportunity for other businesses to mirror Nissan Sunderland Plant’s achievement and drive uptake of electric HGVs is now better than ever. The UK government’s recently revealed £63 million EV charging package contains a £30 million ‘Depot Charging Scheme‘, which will allow firms to claim up to 75% off the cost of installation of charging infrastructure for electric trucks, vans, and coaches.
