Nissan is planning to invest £26.5m to produce next generation electric vehicle (EV) batteries at the company's advanced lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant in Sunderland, UK.
The proposed investment expects to save 300 jobs engaged in the manufacturing, maintenance and engineering department of the Sunderland plant that will complete its 30 years of existence this year.
With the investment, Nissan aims to create a zero-emission motoring system in future.
In 2010, the company has launched a compact five-door hatchback electric car for leading environmentally-friendly affordable family (LEAF) in Japan and the US and then in various European countries and Canada.
Nissan Europe chairman Paul Willcox said: "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."
Nissan started producing EV in Sunderland facility in 2013 with an investment of £420m. Since then, the battery plant and the production of LEAF have created over 2000 jobs.
The company, in collaboration with UK-based new academic and technology partners such as Hyperdrive Innovation, Warwick Manufacturing Group, University of Warwick, Newcastle University and Zero Carbon Futures, will start a new project, with an investment of £19.4m to make future generation batteries.
The project will receive £9.7m grant from UK's Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC).
Nissan's UK battery plant provides battery modules for the company's electric van, e-NV200, manufactured in the company's facility in Barcelona, Spain.
The company operates two other sites that produce EV batteries.
