Nissan has agreed to sell its electric car battery unit to Chinese renewable energy company Envision Group for an undisclosed sum. The announcement comes after Nissan canceled a potential $1 billion sale of the unit to GSR Capital last month, saying the Chinese investment company lacked the funds to make the purchase. Under the agreement, Nissan will retain a 25 percent share or equity interest in the entity newly formed by Envision. The deal, which covers battery plants in Smyrna, Tenn., and Sunderland, England, is expected to close in March. The work force at all operations covered by the deal will continue to be employed, Nissan said in a statement Friday. "The transaction will enable Nissan to concentrate on developing and producing market-leading electric vehicles -- in line with the goals set in our midterm plan," Nissan’s chief competitive officer, Yasuhiro Yamauchi, said. Lei Zhang, CEO of Envision, said in the statement the partnership will help create innovative solutions for the "IoT value chain."