Batteries, Nissan and the EV corridor south of the Tyne
Sunderland's car plant is being rebuilt around electric vehicles — and the supply chain growing around it is pulling skilled people into the region for years to come.
Nissan's Sunderland plant has been the North East's industrial anchor since the 1980s. What's happening there now — under the banner "EV36Zero" — is the biggest reset it's had.
The plan, in numbers
EV36Zero is a £1 billion programme to build electric vehicles, batteries and renewable power generation on one footprint. Its centrepiece is AESC's battery manufacturing: a second Sunderland gigafactory, a £450 million, 12GWh plant on the International Advanced Manufacturing Park next to the car factory, employing more than a thousand people. The next-generation electric LEAF is built around it.
And it's set up to grow
The figures that matter for the region are the growth ones. Rising EV demand could push future investment higher still, lift battery capacity, and take the headcount across the hub toward 4,500 jobs by 2030. Around a plant like this, a whole ecosystem follows — component suppliers, logistics, automation specialists, contractors fitting out new lines.
People follow the work
A lot of that demand is for skills the local labour market is still building, which means relocating engineers and project staff, and supply-chain contractors moving in for installation and ramp-up phases. They don't all want to live in Sunderland itself — North Tyneside and the Forest Hall side of Newcastle are an easy run down the A19, with the coast on the doorstep for the weekend.
What this means if you're staying in the area. Relocations and ramp-up contracts are exactly the longer, settled stays our homes are built for — full kitchens, room to actually live, and a quiet residential street rather than a corridor of hotel doors. For an engineer here for three months or a team commissioning a new line, a whole house off the A19 is comfortable, well-priced and simple to put through the company books. See corporate & relocation stays.
Professional & working stays only. Our homes are let for work, relocation and longer-term living — not for parties, events or short social bookings. Every enquiry is vetted.
Relocating for an EV or supply-chain role?
Tell us your dates and what you need. We'll find you a base that makes the commute easy.