A new leaf Nissan ready for EV revolution - whenever it comes

Car bodies suspended from overhead rails move through Nissan’s factory in Sunderland, with workers stepping in to fit parts at different stations.

- Jasper Jolly

At the newly installed battery “marriage station”, lifting machines push the most crucial component up into the body. Robots fit and tighten 16 bolts in under a minute - quick enough to ensure the constant flow of vehicles around Britain’s biggest car factory.

The electric cars in question are the third generation of Nissan’s Leaf, after the Japanese carmaker this week launched production following £450m of upgrades.

Beside the brightly lit final inspection line, the industry minister, Chris McDonald, hailed the investment as an important part of the UK’s transition to electric vehicles. The Leaf remains - for now - the only electric car to be built in large volumes in Britain.

However, the launch does not come at an auspicious moment for electric cars. Carmakers around the world have delayed models, complaining that sales have not grown as fast as expected. On the same day as the Leaf’s launch, the EU announced it would water down a 2035 ban on petrol and diesel cars, proposing instead to allow 10% of European car sales to have internal combustion engines after that.

Nissan has joined the retreat. Just two years ago it had pledged to sell only electric cars in Europe by 2030. However, the company’s boss in Europe, Massimiliano Messina, said he was unwilling to commit to a date for the transition to be completed. “If I might give a number, it will be wrong,” he said. “I cannot give you a date by when. But I’m more confident that we talk about 2050.”