Nissan To Launch Only EVs In Europe From Now On, Drop ICEs By 2030

Nissan has announced that from now it would launch only fully electric vehicles in Europe as part of plans to sell only EVs in the region by 2030.

"EV is the ultimate mobility solution. More than a million customers have already joined our journey and experienced the fun of a Nissan electric vehicle, and there is no turning back now," said Makoto Uchida, Nissan President and CEO.

"EVs powered by renewables are key to us achieving carbon neutrality, which is central to our Ambition 2030 vision. Nissan will make the switch to full electric by 2030 in Europe – we believe it is the right thing to do for our business, our customers and for the planet."

Nissan has already confirmed two new battery-electric vehicles for Europe, one of which will be produced at its Sunderland plant in the UK where the Leaf EV is currently made.

The automaker did not provide fresh details of the Leaf successor, which has already been confirmed to be an electric SUV. In May, the company announced that the Leaf successor would be made at the Sunderland plant from 2026.

The future electric SUV was previewed by the Nissan Chill-Out study in November 2021 when the carmaker announced its long-term electrification strategy called Nissan Ambition 2030. Described as a "near-future EV," the crossover coupe study was built on the CMF-EV platform and featured the e-4ORCE dual-motor AWD powertrain from the Ariya.

The second model is an all-new electric car that will act as a successor to the Nissan Micra as the brand's entry-level vehicle. The EV will be made by Renault in Douai, France alongside the full-electric Renault 5.

Earlier today, Nissan unveiled the Concept 20-23 in London as a sporty urban electric car, describing it as "an exterior model only." Based on this description and the design of the headlights and taillights, the concept appears to explore a three-door version of the upcoming Micra EV that was teased in 2022. 

Nissan raised its targets for EVs earlier this year, pledging to launch 19 new battery-electric models by 2030. It also said that by the 2026 fiscal year ending March 31, 2027, 98 percent of its sales in Europe would be electrified – fully electric cars and hybrids combined.

In addition, the company announced plans to introduce cobalt-free technology to bring down the cost of EV batteries by 65 percent by fiscal year 2028. Nissan also aims to launch the first EVs with its proprietary all-solid-state batteries (ASSB) by fiscal year 2028.

Going fully electric in Europe by 2030 brings Nissan in line with alliance partner Renault, which also plans to make its core brand all-electric by then.