- The Nissan Sunderland plant in the UK is set to be transformed into a ‘flagship EV hub’, combining electric vehicles, renewable energy, and battery production, all under one site.
- However, it’s not just these three sustainability areas where the manufacturer is hoping to make a difference – with a major ‘rewilding’ project already underway at the site, ahead of this flagship EV hub development.
- The move exists as part of Nissan’s wider Nissan Ambition 2030 strategy, which targets company carbon neutrality by 2050.
Nissan sets the sustainability blueprint for future EV factories
The rewilding project has turned the surroundings of the facility from what was uninhabited marshland into an ecosystem teeming with wildlife. It was carried out by the plant’s engineering team and in partnership with the developer of the solar farm at the site, Atrato Partneres.
Andy Barker, Engineering Manager at Nissan’s Sunderland plant, commented:
“We’re passionate about sustainability so it is fantastic to be able to create an area for wildlife to thrive. We’ve carried out the rewilding close to where we built our first wind farm nearly 20 years ago and near our second solar farm, so this part of the plant has been the focus of our sustainability drive.
It’s fantastic to continue that journey and we’ve been amazed at how quickly and how many of the various animals have taken up residence. The second solar farm project allowed us to transform the existing marshland by adding a further pond and a maintained new grassland. It was about taking a holistic approach that included eco diversity as well as renewable energy.”
The Sunderland plant exists as Nissan’s EV36Zero project – outlining a blueprint for future facilities. This consists of three specific pillars: manufacturing of three specific fully-electric vehicles, a neighbouring battery gigafactory operated by AESC, and a 100% renewable energy microgrid.
Fully-electric cars have already been built at the Nissan Sunderland Plant in the past, such as the Nissan Leaf. The manufacturer has already confirmed that the next generation Nissan Leaf, as well as future all-electric iterations of the Qashqai and Juke, both currently big sellers in the UK, will also be built at the Sunderland facility.
