Earlier this year, Toyota announced it was working with Panasonic to bring solid-state batteries into production by 2025. Its fluoride-ion solid-state battery has seven times the energy density enabling a range of 1,000 km (621 miles) on a single charge. It also charges much faster (zero to full in 10 minutes), so it will be a total game-changer for the EV industry.
Now, the automaker says it plans to debut its first working prototype next year. A production car available for purchase will follow shortly after. The current prototype provides a range of 500 km (310 miles) and a recharge from zero to full in ten minutes. That’s twice the distance an EV with a conventional lithium-ion battery can go under similar conditions.
Nikkei Asia reported:
The technology is a potential cure-all for the drawbacks facing electric vehicles that run on conventional lithium-ion batteries, including the relatively short distance traveled on a single charge as well as charging times. Toyota plans to be the first company to sell an electric vehicle equipped with a solid-state battery in the early 2020s. The world’s largest automaker will unveil a prototype next year.
The technology would revolutionize the EV industry. In addition to charging faster and having more energy density than li-ions, solid-state batteries are more compact and safer. They use a solid electrolyte, so they’re less prone to fire when damaged because they don’t leak like liquid electrolytes found in Li-ion units do. Furthermore, they deteriorate less over time. Toyota estimates a 90% retention of battery performance over a 30-year lifespan.
The Japanese giant is currently a world leader in solid-state battery technology with over 1,000 patents related to the technology.
Seeing as EVs will become commonplace as the world transitions away from carbon, the Japanese government is encouraging domestic development of decarbonization technology such as solid-state batteries. It has put together a $19.2-billion support fund for companies researching the field. The money will assist in procuring materials and the development of a mass-production infrastructure within the country.
Meanwhile, Samsung is also working on solid-state batteries, and Brown University researchers are developing a way to make them even more potent with graphene.
