Car giant Nissan and its partners are to invest billions of pounds in electric vehicles over the next few years, they announced on Thursday.
The alliance of carmakers Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi said they will jointly launch 35 new electric vehicles over the next five years based on five common platforms, including a successor to the Nissan Micra.
They also signalled a huge increase in global battery production.
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The declaration of intent follows an announcement last year that Nissan would manufacture a second electric vehicle at its plant in Sunderland, working with battery partners Envision AESC and Sunderland City Council to ensure production was fuelled by renewable energy.
That announcement and last week’s news that the Britishvolt plant at Cambois, Northumberland, is to go ahead means that the North East will have the first two battery-producing gigafactories in the UK.
Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi have already invested billions of pounds in electric vehicles and the Alliance has announced it is accelerating that with a total of €23bn (around £19bn) more investment in the next five years on electrification.
Jean-Dominique Senard, chairman of the Alliance, told a news conference: “Today the Alliance is accelerating to lead the mobility revolution and deliver more value to customers, our people, our shareholders and all our stakeholders.
“The three member-companies have defined a common road map towards 2030, sharing investments in future electrification and connectivity projects.
“These are massive investments that none of the three companies could make alone. Together, we are making the difference for a new and global sustainable future; the Alliance becoming carbon neutral by 2050.”
The Alliance said it was working with partners to reduce battery costs by 50% in 2026 and 65% by 2028. 90% of the companies’ new models will be based on five common EV platforms, covering most markets, in all major regions.
A record number of electric vehicles being produced in the UK last year was the one silver lining in “dismal” figures which showed the country’s car production at the lowest level since 1956.
Factories had to reduce or pause production as they waited for parts hit by the global pandemic, while high energy costs are a growing problem for the industry, SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes warned.
Nissan last year said it would use Sunderland as its model to expand electric vehicle production worldwide. The factory has been producing the electric Leaf since 2013.
