Toyota has announced plans to halve the size, cost and weight of batteries for its electric vehicles following a breakthrough in solid-state battery technology. This is reported by Financial Times.
“For both our liquid and our solid-state batteries, we are aiming to drastically change the situation where current batteries are too big, heavy and expensive,” said Keiji Kaita, president of the Japanese auto firm’s research and development centre for carbon neutrality. “In terms of potential, we will aim to halve all of these factors.”
According to Toyota, thanks to the breakthrough technology, the company is preparing to start mass production of solid-state batteries in electric vehicles by 2027 or 2028. In addition, thanks to the breakthrough, cars with solid-state batteries will have a range of 1,200 km and will be charged in just 10 minutes.
“All of our members are highly motivated and are working with the intention to definitely launch” the technology by the promised timeline,” Kaita added.
He believes that by reducing the number of processes required to make battery materials, the cost of solid-state batteries can be reduced to a similar or cheaper level than liquid-based lithium-ion batteries.
Analysts say that for Toyota, which has been slower than rivals to introduce electric vehicles, solid-state batteries could be a “tipping point” in closing the gap with Tesla.
It was previously reported that Toyota plans to develop new types of batteries that will gradually improve their properties: capacity will increase, charging time will decrease. This, in particular, should help achieve the ambitious goal of creating an electric car with a range of up to 1,500 km.
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