Nissan launches home battery to be made in Sunderland plant

Japanese carmaker Nissan has announced it will start to make its own home battery in its Sunderland plant, similar to that launched by Tesla Motors.

The batteries will provide energy storage for households after they have already been used on Nissan's Leaf electric cars, but are no longer powerful enough to drive the vehicles.

Alongside US power firm Eaton, Nissan will manufacture the first British-made household batteries in the plant in Sunderland, one year after the carmaker announced plans to build the storage units.

Home energy storage has quickly become an attractive investment for households, as they are able to harness their electricity through the device rather than sending it back to the grid.

The battery, known as "xStorage", is likely to face stiff competition from Tesla’s Powerwall system, which has already been launched across the UK.

Nissan had threatened to reconsider its investment in Britain following the fallout from last year’s Brexit vote, after chief executive Carlos Gosn lobbied for guarantees from Theresa May’s government regarding the company’s ability to do business in the country.