Electric car: Nissan reveals its plans and relies on solid battery

Nissan presented its electrification strategy for the next ten years. The Japanese firm, an ally of Renault, relies heavily on its solid battery technology.

Like all manufacturers, Nissan must reinvent itself in the midst of a period marked by electrification. The manufacturer currently has only one electric model, the Leaf, and will be released soon his large electric SUV Ariya.

But the goal for the company is to accelerate this transition, for several reasons. In addition to the advance that some manufacturers are taking, it wants to stay on track.

Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida explains that Nissan’s future business model will be based on three pillars. The first concerns the climate crisis, a subject that is “Inevitable” according to him. The second concerns the social aspect and the societal challenges surrounding the automobile. The last point on which Nissan will rely will be the awareness of its customers of these changes.

50% of electrical sales in 2030

Nissan has decided to radically change its vision of the automobile, whether in technology or in its approach to the sector. The Ambition 2030 plan is based on electrification, and investments have already started.

The firm has already incurred 7.8 billion euros in costs to prepare for this big change since 2010. It plans to spend an additional 15.6 billion euros in the next five years, always for the same purpose.

Makoto Uchida explained that he wanted Nissan to participate “To a cleaner, safer and more inclusive world”. These points will be at the center of the investments that Nissan will continue to make.

Expenses that will materialize through the arrival of 23 new models, including 15 electric vehicles. Nissan wants to make its electrified vehicles more affordable, and hopes that they will represent 40% of its sales in five years. The manufacturer’s goal is to sell 50% of electric cars by 2030.

Nissan to launch solid battery in 2028

To keep its ambitions, Nissan plans to increase its production of batteries and cells in its own factories. The production of batteries will reach an annual capacity of 52 GWh in 2026, and 130 GWh in 2030 figures the manufacturer. This capacity development plan is not the only one for Nissan around batteries. The Japanese brand has thus revealed that it will launch a project that could prove to be revolutionary in the future.

Nissan will thus introduce its first solid battery in 2028, with a pilot plant in Yokohama which will be operational in 2024. Its construction will begin next year, and the first prototypes will leave the pilot lines in 2024.

Solid batteries will have twice the energy density. Uchida explains that they will take 1/3 less charging time.

If Nissan wants to democratize the solid battery, it is also for financial reasons. The Japanese brand evokes a cost of $ 65 / kWh, less than half of current costs.

This project alone will cost Nissan one billion euros over the next five years. If all goes as planned, mass production of these batteries will kick off in 2028.

Cleaner factories and virtuous batteries

Nissan will also invest in more virtuous batteries, on the principle of reconditioning. The manufacturer thus wishes to set up factories for this purpose in Europe, Japan and the United States.

Numerous studies and tests have recently shown that the ores already used in batteries retain good energy properties. This is what Nissan is looking for, in order to successfully reuse its batteries over the generations.

Finally, it is in its infrastructures that Nissan wants to change the situation. The brand wants to reduce polluting emissions from its factories by 40%, in particular by adopting hydrogen energy generators.