(London) Nissan boss Makoto Uchida assured Monday that there would be “no turning back” from the manufacturer on electric vehicles, a few days after the five-year postponement of the ban on fossil fuel cars announced by London last week.
“More than a million customers have already joined our journey and discovered the joy of a Nissan electric vehicle,” and there will be “no turning back now,” Mr. Uchida was quoted as saying Monday in a press release from the group.
The manufacturer unveiled a new “sporty and urban” concept car (the Concept 20-23) on Monday in London to mark the 20e anniversary of his design studio in the Paddington district of the British capital.
The company “will go all-electric by 2030 in Europe. We believe this is the right thing to do for our company, our customers and for the planet,” added the executive.
Nissan, an ally of French Renault, had already announced in February an acceleration towards electrification, saying it was targeting a 98% share of its sales of electrified vehicles (electric and hybrid) in Europe by 2027.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on Wednesday the postponement of several key measures of the United Kingdom’s climate policy. New cars running on gasoline and diesel will now be banned for sale in 2035 and not in 2030.
A measure which “aligns” the United Kingdom with the timetable of other countries such as the EU, defended Mr. Sunak, in the face of the outcry in the automobile sector.
“While many countries are debating when to ban the sale of internal combustion engines, Nissan is pursuing its goal of achieving 100% electric vehicles (sold) in Europe by 2030,” the manufacturer insisted on Monday.
All new Nissan models on the continent will also now be fully electric.
Globally, the manufacturer plans to launch 19 all-electric vehicles by 2030, and introduce cobalt-free technology to reduce the cost of electric vehicle batteries by 65% by 2028-2029.
The postponement of the ban on fossil fuel cars in the United Kingdom sparked outraged reactions from representatives of the British automobile industry last week.
“Our company expects three things from the British government: ambition, commitment and consistency” and Wednesday’s announcement goes “against all three”, said Ford boss in the United Kingdom Lisa Brankin .
The British automotive sector lobby, the SMMT, for its part denounced “confusion and uncertainty”.