The automaker believes this could double the car’s range from the same size of battery.
Durability was an issue for solid-state batteries, but Toyota says this has been overcome.
Despite being late to the EV game, Toyota is still a leader in terms of solid-state batteries.
While Toyota was slow to enter the electric vehicle market, it wants to catch up to its rivals by being the first to launch an EV equipped with solid-state batteries.
This technology is billed by various automakers as the next big step in the development of electric vehicles due to their numerous advantages over the current liquid type of lithium-ion batteries.
For example, solid-state batteries are said to be more stable than current types in terms of temperature and volatility, which means they are less at risk of catching fire and they don’t require a complex temperature management system in order to deliver their optimal performance.
Toyota also believes this technology will allow it to more than double the range of its EVs with the same physical size of the battery.
This means that a range of 1,200 kilometres per charge is to be expected, with plans calling for further developments that could bring this number up to 1,500 kilometres.
In addition, these batteries will be capable of charging in less than 10 minutes when using a fast-charging station.
This is impressive, but charging was one of the most important issues that needed to be addressed with solid-state batteries.
Indeed, testing found that charging and discharging them caused the electrodes to expand and contract rapidly, often leading to failures that could compromise the entire battery.
Toyota seems confident this problem has been solved, however, since it is already working on its first model powered by solid-state batteries, which should be launched in 2027 or 2028.
Little is known about this upcoming model, but rumours say it could be a limited-production luxury model that will pave the way for more affordable versions.
This should make Toyota the first automaker in the world to offer a regular production model powered by solid-state batteries, which is hardly a surprise considering the company currently holds over 1,000 patents for the technology, more than any of its competitors.
Due to the aforementioned advantages as well as a forecasted lower price per kilowatt than conventional lithium-ion batteries, many automakers are looking into this technology.
Indeed, Nissan aims to launch its own solid-state EV by the end of 2028 while BMW is working on a concept vehicle that will be showcased in 2025 and brought to production in 2030.
Source: NikkeiAsia
