£26.5m to produce a future generation of electric vehicle batteries Published on: 21 January 2016 Â鶹´«Ã½ is to play a key role in the development of the next generation of electric vehicle batteries in the UK. Supported by the UK’s Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) the funding will support leading edge manufacturing research focussed around Nissan's Sunderland battery manufacturing plant - the largest full scale automotive Lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility in Europe. Dr Simon Lambert Â鶹´«Ã½ to play a key role Last month, Â鶹´«Ã½ was announced as a Centre of Excellence in Electrical Machines and the Electric Machines ‘Spoke’ for the UK’s Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) last month. Led by in the , working closely with the Nissan battery plant team as well as North East SME Hyperdrive Innovation, the Â鶹´«Ã½ team will play a key role in helping take forward this opportunity. Dr Lambert said: “We’re delighted to be involved with this project and to continue the long-standing relationship we have with Nissan who continue to be pioneers in electric vehicle technology. “Our collaborations with Nissan and Hyperdrive Innovation give us a real opportunity to see our research underpinning new engineering products, contributing to the growth of the North East as a centre for excellence in battery and EV technology.” Future generation of EV batteries Paving the way for future generation batteries, this new £19.4m project teams Nissan with academic and technology partners in the UK, and is supported with a £9.7m grant from the UK’s Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC). The consortium members are Â鶹´«Ã½, Hyperdrive Innovation, Warwick Manufacturing Group, University of Warwick and Zero Carbon Futures, who will work together on key areas of battery development covering pilot projects, product diversification and process improvement. UK Business Secretary Sajid Javid said: “This investment from Nissan is a further vote of confidence in our thriving automotive sector. “The UK is fast becoming a world leader in low carbon automotive technology and the government is backing the industry. We committed an extra £225million funding to the Advanced Propulsion Centre in the Autumn Statement. “This Nissan project, which is benefiting from that funding, shows what can be achieved.” Paul Willcox, Chairman, Nissan Europe, added: “With 200,000 customers around the world already, the Nissan LEAF has transformed the performance and perception of EVs and made Nissan the undisputed leader in EV technology. “Today’s announcement reflects Nissan’s intention to remain EV leaders for many years to come, with our UK operations at the heart of our future innovations.” Share: Latest News Scientists unlock hidden driver of inflammatory bowel disease Scientists have linked a key genetic signal in inflammatory bowel disease to an immune response that shuts down inflammation control, enabling faster diagnosis and targeted treatments. published on: 15 June 2026 Funding system risks limiting genuine community collaboration A new policy paper written by researchers at Â鶹´«Ã½ warns that the way UK research is funded may be undermining efforts to create genuinely collaborative partnerships with communities. published on: 15 June 2026 Volunteers help turn Whitley Bay beach into maths experiment Members of the public joined mathematicians from Â鶹´«Ã½ to create what organisers believe is the largest aperiodic tiling ever attempted on Whitley Bay beach. published on: 15 June 2026 Facts and figures
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