Toyota Targets 40-Year Lifespan for its Upcoming Solid-State Batteries

• Solid-state batteries are expected to be lighter, more efficient, and much more durable than current technologies.

• The automaker says these batteries will outlast the car they are installed in, and could be swapped to a new vehicle.

• Toyota still expects to launch its first models with a solid-state battery in 2027 or 2028.

While Toyota doesn’t seem to believe strongly in current electric vehicle technologies, the Japanese automaker is much more confident about its upcoming solid-state batteries.

Indeed, the company now expects this future technology to reach an impressive lifespan of 40 years in normal service, in addition to all of the other advantages this battery type is expected to carry.

Made with a solid electrolyte material that is more stable than current liquid-based batteries, solid-state batteries are expected to be more power-dense, lighter, more efficient, less affected by extreme temperatures, and much more durable.

This last point is what Toyota highlighted during a recent presentation in Japan, where the company said it is targeting a 90% capacity left after 40 years of use, rather than the 90% left after 10 years, which is the current norm for lithium-ion batteries.

This means that, in theory, manufacturing solid-state batteries will generate 4 times fewer emissions than liquid-based batteries, as one battery will last as long as four current ones.

Of course, this will depend on many more factors, but lending a bit more credibility to this ideal is that Toyota claims these batteries will be swappable, meaning that owners could take the battery out of their old vehicle once the body and the mechanical components reach the end of their life, after about 20 years, and install it into a newer car, thus benefiting from the battery’s entire lifespan and limiting their environmental impact.

Considering that the average age of vehicles on Canadian roads is only 10 to 11 years, this means that a battery with a 40-year lifespan could even be swapped two or three times before it itself reaches the end of its useful life.

We don’t yet know which kinds of electric vehicles will benefit from Toyota’s solid-state batteries first, but the company still expects to bring this technology to market in either 2027 or 2028.

There were rumours a few months ago that the first product to use this technology would be the next generation of the Prius hybrid, as a sort of real-world test bed, and this could still be true, but signs are now pointing at more expensive vehicles to start.

Indeed, Toyota says that solid-state batteries still cost much more to manufacture than the current types, which is a challenge for more affordable electric vehicles.

This means that Lexus and perhaps even Century models are likely to be the first to benefit from solid-state batteries, before costs reduce in the following years, making it possible to sell cheaper Toyotas with solid-state batteries.

Toyota will Launch EVs with Solid-State Batteries Globally in the Next Few Years

One such affordable electric Toyota that could receive solid-state batteries is a future generation of the Corolla, which was previewed by a concept recently unveiled in Japan.

Don’t expect top see incredible deals on EVs equipped with solid-state batteries anytime soon, however, as Toyota thinks the very long projected lifespan of its future batteries will justify a higher initial purchase price.

Toyota is not alone in exploring the potential of solid-state batteries, as Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Stellantis, and Honda are all working on their own versions of this technology, although Toyota seems likely to be first to market with solid-state EVs.

Source: CarExpert