Japan’s YOKOHAMA — The first mass-market 100% electric vehicle in the world, the LEAF, just saw production of its 500,000th unit at Nissan Motor Co. Nearly ten years after the model’s first release, Nissan’s factory in Sunderland, England, reached the milestone. The car is also put together at Nissan factories in Kanagawa, Japan, and Smyrna, Tennessee.
The mass production of carbon-fiber composite auto parts that could be employed in next electric automobiles has also been improved by Nissan experts.
In comparison to traditional techniques, the invention can reduce cycle times for molding by roughly 80% and lead times for developing lightweight components by up to 50%.
Compression resin transfer molding is an existing production technique that is improved by the Nissan strategy. In order to do this, carbon fiber must be bent into the appropriate shape and placed in a die with a small space between the upper die and the carbon fibers. The fiber is then filled with resin, which is then allowed to harden.
Using an in-die temperature sensor and a transparent die, Nissan engineers devised methods to precisely replicate the permeability of the resin in carbon fiber while observing resin flow behavior in a die. A high-quality component with a quicker development time was the outcome of the successful simulation.
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Tennessee today marks the start of U.S. production for the brand-new 2018 Nissan LEAF.
Tennessee’s SMYRNA – The Smyrna Vehicle Assembly Plant in Smyrna, Tennessee, has begun manufacturing the brand-new 2018 Nissan LEAF. Beginning next month, Nissan LEAFs will be sold at dealerships all around the country.
According to Jeff Younginer, vice president of production of Nissan North America, Inc.’s Smyrna Car Assembly Plant, “We’re committed to vehicle electrification and manufacturing in the United States.” We’re eager to scale up production and introduce the LEAF to the market next month because of the LEAF’s affordable starting price and the most recent set of Nissan Intelligent Mobility features.
ProPILOT Assist, a feature that is optional on the 2018 Nissan LEAF and 2018 Rogue, aids drivers in navigating stop-and-go traffic by controlling acceleration, braking, and steering during single-lane highway driving. Additionally, the Nissan LEAF includes standard Nissan Intelligent Mobility features including Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) and e-Pedal, which enables drivers to accelerate and decelerate with a single pedal.
Since 2011, more than 114,550 Nissan LEAF cars have been sold in the US. The Nissan LEAF has been manufactured at Smyrna since 2013. At launch, the 2018 Nissan LEAF will be offered in all 50 states for a starting price of $29,9901, and its range will be greater than 150 miles2.
More than 12 million new cars have been supplied at the Nissan Smyrna Vehicle Assembly Plant since it first started manufacturing cars in 1983. Currently, the Smyrna plant makes six different models, including the Altima, LEAF, Maxima, Pathfinder, Rogue, and INFINITI QX60. It is capable of producing 640,000 vehicles yearly.
The LEAF is also produced for international markets by Nissan Motor Manufacturing Ltd. in Sunderland, England, and Nissan Oppama Plant in Yokosuka, Japan.
Concerning Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. Nissan is a leading full-line automaker with over 60 models available under the Nissan, INFINITI, and Datsun brands. The business sold 5.63 million automobiles globally in the 2016 fiscal year, bringing in 11.72 trillion yen in revenue. The Nissan LEAF, the world’s best-selling all-electric vehicle ever, is designed, produced, and sold by Nissan. Asia, Oceania, Africa, the Middle East, and India; China; Europe; Latin America; and North America are the six geographical areas under the management of Nissan’s global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan. Nissan employs 247,500 people worldwide and has been working with French automaker Renault since 1999. Nissan purchased a 34% interest in Mitsubishi Motors in 2016. With combined yearly sales of nearly 10 million vehicles, Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi is currently the largest automotive collaboration in the world.
Subaru Leaf
Nissan produces the Nissan Leaf, a small five-door hatchback battery electric vehicle (BEV) (Japanese: Ri Chan rihu, Hepburn: Nissan Rifu). It was launched in Japan and the US in December 2010, and as of October 2017, it is in its second generation. The Leaf’s range on a full charge has gradually risen thanks to the adoption of a larger battery pack and a number of small upgrades, going from 117 km (73 miles) to 364 km (226 miles) (EPA certified).
The Leaf has received numerous honors over the years, including the 2010 Green Car Vision Award, 2011 European Car of the Year, 2011 World Car of the Year, and 2011-2012 Car of the Year Japan. By February 2022, there had been 577,000 Leafs sold worldwide. More than 208,000 units have been sold in Europe as of September 2021[update], while as of December 2021[update], over 165,000 units had been sold in the United States and 157,000 in Japan. Through December 2019, the Leaf was the plug-in electric vehicle with the highest global sales. Early in 2020, the Tesla Model 3 overtook the Leaf to become the electric vehicle with the highest lifetime sales.
Nissan is bringing a PS1 billion battery and vehicle production cluster to the north-east of England.
As part of a deal that would bring a sizable new battery factory to the UK, Nissan has revealed that it will produce the Leaf’s replacement in its Sunderland facility in the north-east of England.
Nissan and its partner, battery producer Envision AESC, have invested over PS1 billion in the new EV manufacturing hub, dubbed EV36Zero. More than 4,500 employment will be preserved in the larger supply chain, as well as 900 new ones at Nissan and 750 at Envision AESC. The battery factory will be housed at the International Advanced Manufacturing Park (IAMP), a brand-new center located immediately to Nissan’s own Sunderland site’s north.
The first total capacity for the new Nissan factory will be 9GWh, which is a minor amount compared to what many industry experts predict the UK would require to continue to be a competitive base for the automotive industry.
However, the agreement does offer a substantial boost for Sunderland because Nissan will use the battery factory, which will be located close to the existing car factory, to produce a “new-generation electric crossover.”
Given the timing, it is almost probable that this is the Nissan Leaf, a hatchback electric vehicle that has been produced in the UK since 2012. The present model of the car should reach the end of its lifespan in around 2024, giving the battery plant enough time to go online while the vehicle transitions to the new CMF-EV platform from the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. Nissan’s investment in the EV36Zero amounts to just over PS400 million for setting up manufacture of the car.
The Envision AESC plant will be able to grow to a maximum capacity of 35GWh, and it may eventually be able to create enough batteries for Nissan to manufacture up to 100,000 EVs annually in Sunderland.
According to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the announcement was “The UK’s Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Kwasi Kwarteng, said, “I am extremely proud that Nissan has not only reaffirmed its belief in Britain, but is doubling down on its long-standing commitment to our country. This is a pivotal moment in our electric vehicle revolution.
As we move away from petrol and diesel cars and establish a domestic manufacturing base for electric vehicles, the cars built in this plant, using batteries created just down the road, will play a significant role.”
While this is going on, the local municipal council is starting a project called “Microgrid” that will use used EV batteries to store extra energy generated during daylight hours and subsequently help balance demand on the grid. Plans call for an initial expenditure of PS80 million and call for up to 1 MW of second-life battery storage. It is predicted that it might reduce carbon emissions by up to 55,000 tonnes annually.
What do you think about Nissan investing in UK auto production? Please share with us in the comments.
Nissan has been producing automobiles in Sunderland for more than three decades, and it is still going strong.
Nissan has been a manufacturing powerhouse in the British auto sector for 35 years. Today, its Sunderland facility directly employs over 6000 people, and its broad nationwide supply network also supports another 46,000 jobs.
Ten million automobiles have been produced at Nissan Sunderland since manufacturing started in 1986, or around two vehicles every minute. If they were parked bumper to bumper, they would go 42,000 kilometers around the world. In 2021, Nissan Sunderland will increase the variety, intelligence, and adaptability of its electrified car lineup.
Since the Nissan LEAF’s production in the UK started in 2013, more than 175,000 have been produced in Sunderland. The most recent version of Nissan’s all-electric hatchback is more streamlined, technologically advanced, and economical than ever. LEAF e+ models can go up to 239 miles (WLTP combined) on a single charge and have 217PS and 340Nm, which allows them to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 6.9 seconds.
Not all Nissans manufactured in the UK are electric, including the Nissan LEAF. With its distinctive fusion of hatchback elegance and SUV practicality, the Nissan Qashqai has been a leading light of the crossover market since 2007. Over 3 million have been produced at Nissan Sunderland.
The brand-new Nissan Qashqai, now in its third generation, offers an advanced mild-hybrid model along with an avant-garde ePOWER variant that will go on sale in 2022, combining space and style with efficiency.
In the near future, Nissan will introduce EV36Zero in collaboration with Envision AESC and Sunderland City Council (see artist’s idea above), establishing a PS1 billion flagship electric vehicle hub in Sunderland that will be the first of its kind in the world. It will be in charge of producing an entirely new, all-electric family crossover with a 9GW battery gigafactory that will be constructed by partner Envision AESC.
Nissan will spend up to PS423 million exclusively on the manufacture of this new model, of which it is anticipated that 100,000 units will be produced yearly, as part of this significant investment in UK manufacturing. UK-built automobiles will be imported into Europe, just like the Nissan LEAF and Qashqai.
You can feel confident that it was built in Britain no matter what electrified model you choose, including Nissan’s future 100% electric crossover and the company’s ground-breaking all-electric Nissan LEAF.