The High Energy Density Battery (HEDB) project will bring academic and industrial research together to deliver productivity improvements at Nissan's battery manufacturing plant in Sunderland. NMUK already operates one of the most productive car plants in Europe, and has brought hundreds of millions of pounds of inward investment to the UK, including the opening of the Nissan LEAF battery manufacturing plant in Sunderland in March 2013. This project aims to deliver technical and productivity improvements which will enhance both the cost and range of Nissan Electric Vehicles - resulting in reduced EU CO2 emissions, increased employment in the UK, and increased exports (of batteries and vehicles to Europe). Alongside this, the project will create an automated manufacturing facility at UK SME Hyperdrive which will use Nissan battery cells to create battery packs for non-competing applications such as bus, truck, and industrial applications. This new supply chain will create jobs and economic value, and will make viable the electrification of vehicles in sectors where this is currently not economically feasible. This will result in improved air quality and CO2 emissions.