Every new car that Nissan launches in Europe will now be fully electric

Nissan boss Makoto Uchida has announced that every new car the brand launches in Europe from this day forward will be fully electric.

Yep, after losing its Leaf-based lead in the electric car market in recent years, Nissan is finally going all-in on EVs on our shores. 

“For anyone who thinks EVs are not exciting, just take a look at this car,” said Uchida at the unveil of the Concept 20-23 at Nissan Design Europe in London. “It’s fun, it’s sporty, it would look amazing on the road. It’s also a symbol for our future, and our future is electric.

“Long ago, we announced that we would not invest in any more internal combustion engines in Europe. Today, we are here to say that from this point onward, every single new Nissan model launched in Europe will be fully electric.”

It’s a big statement from Nissan. It has already committed to being a fully electric company by 2030, and this now means that we won’t even be seeing any new hybrids in Europe. It’ll need to get on with launching some of those new EVs, considering it only has the Leaf and Ariya on sale currently (and no, we're not counting the Townstar van here).

“In 2030, Nissan will be ready for full EV,” said Uchida. “It's the right thing to do. We already have one of the best products available, the Nissan Ariya. It’s going to be joined by a new family with even more excitement, more of the Nissan crossover signature, and of course more fun.”

Eugh, more crossovers and SUVs. Still, let’s hope there’s a production version of the Concept 20-23 in the plan so we get a proper little hot hatch too.

“This technology is for everyone,” Uchida says about future propulsion systems. “As battery technology evolves, we are working to achieve cost parity with ICE vehicles. When it comes to the planet, we have a responsibility to be a part of the solution.

“Here in the UK, we will be designing and engineering the EV of the future for the European market. That starts with our design team here in London and our R&D team at Nissan Technical Centre Europe in Cranfield, and in Sunderland we are on the way to delivering the manufacturing plant of the future. This combines EV production with a battery gigafactory, all powered by renewable electricity. 

“We are also preparing our own all-solid-state battery. Nissan ASSB will be a breakthrough. It has the potential to double the energy density of batteries and cut charging times by one third. I've seen the progress we are making on this technology and I'm so excited for when we will deliver it to customers. For Nissan, we are committed to EVs, and we have been from the start. We are at the tipping point of consumer adoption for EVs. There's no going back. The world needs to move on from ICE.”