Nissan has assigned production of future generation electric vehicle (EV) batteries to its factory in Sunderland, UK.
The battery plant cost GBP26.5m and the latest commitment will safeguard 300 highly skilled jobs in manufacturing, maintenance and engineering at the lithium-ion battery plant in northeast England, the largest of its type in Europe.
The factory is one of three Nissan battery production sites globally and will provide battery modules for the Leaf and e-NV200 electric van which is manufactured at a factory in Barcelona, Spain.
Nissan has sold over 200,000 Leafs on the road worldwide covering 2bn electric miles. In 2015, Nissan sold 43,651 Leafs worldwide, 15,630 of which were in Europe.
Since EV production began in Sunderland in 2013 bolstered by a GBP420m investment, the battery plant and Leaf production have supported more than 2,000 jobs both at Nissan and within the supply chain.
"Nissan has achieved second-to-none quality levels since launching battery manufacturing in Sunderland, and securing this critical future production is a testament to our success," the automaker said in a statement.
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This news coincides with the launch of the 250km range Leaf.
