Peter Lyon
September 27, 2023
Nissan, the company that sparked the electric vehicle boom with its Leaf back in 2011, is right now counting down to an all-electric line-up in Europe.
As many countries debate when to outlaw sales of internal combustion engines—with the U.K. only last week delaying its ICE ban by five years to 2035—Nissan is pushing ahead with plans to achieve a 100% EV lineup in Europe by 2030.
EVs are key to achieving carbon neutrality
“EVs are the ultimate mobility solution. More than a million customers have already joined our journey and experienced the fun of a Nissan electric vehicle, and there is no turning back now,” said Makoto Uchida, Nissan President and CEO. “EVs powered by renewables are key to us achieving carbon neutrality, which is central to our Ambition 2030 vision. Nissan will make the switch to full electric by 2030 in Europe – we believe it is the right thing to do for our business, our customers and for the planet.”
Earlier this week, on the banks of a canal outside Nissan Design Europe (NDE), the company unveiled its ‘Concept 20-23,’ a sporty, urban EV concept celebrating the 20th anniversary of the studio’s opening in Paddington, London. The ‘Concept 20-23’ is just one of the brand’s new EVs expected to land in showrooms—perhaps in a slightly watered-down version—in the next few years.
Globally, under Nissan Ambition 2030, Nissan is introducing 27 electrified vehicles, including 19 fully electric vehicles by 2030. In this period Nissan is also introducing cobalt-free technology to bring down the cost of EV batteries by 65% by fiscal year 2028. Nissan also aims to launch EVs with its proprietary all-solid-state batteries (ASSB) by fiscal year 2028. With the introduction of breakthrough ASSB, Nissan will be able to expand its EV offerings across segments and offer more dynamic performance. By reducing charging time to one-third, ASSBs will make EVs more efficient and accessible.
In fact, two future Nissan EVs have already been confirmed for Europe, including an all-new compact EV which will succeed the iconic Nissan Micra as the entry-level vehicle in the Nissan line-up. The other vehicle will be built at Nissan’s UK plant in Sunderland, as part of the £1bn EV36Zero project, a blueprint for the future of automotive, bringing together EV manufacturing, battery production, and renewable energy.
Over one-third of the million Nissan EVs sold around the world have been in Europe, with the Ariya SUV and the Townstar van the latest all-electric vehicles to go on sale. Meanwhile, in Japan, the tiny Sakura EV minicar showed that pint-sized electric cars could find a jugular vein in the industry and actually sell well. Since 2022 the Nissan range in Europe has been 100% electrified, including the addition of Nissan’s e-POWER hybrid technology to the Qashqai and X-Trail.
OUR THOUGHTS
The European car market is electrifying at a rapid pace. In the five-year period from 2018-2022, sales of electric and electrified vehicles rose from 5% of the total market to 44%, with sales of all-electric vehicles rising from 1% to 12% of the total market. Today EVs represent 16% of Nissan’s total sales in Europe, part of a total electrified sales mix of 50%, which in the coming three years is expected to rise to 98%. Yes, EV sales have sprouted recently but for the numbers to grow at the same rate, Nissan, and other carmakers will have to make more appealing-looking EVs that are cheaper and offer more range.
