SOLID-STATE BATTERIES BY 2028—TOYOTA REACHES AGREEMENT WITH IDEMITSU KOSAN

By Piero Facchin

Toyota has reached an agreement with its Japanese compatriot Idemitsu Kosan to mass-produce ultra-high-end electric vehicles (EVs) equipped with solid-state batteries.

This is the first major update in the company’s plans to be the first to offer these next-generation batteries. Toyota claims that the new technology will eventually enable EVs to travel 932 miles (1,500 km) on a single charge, and will allow recharging in just ten minutes, due to the higher energy density.

Idemitsu Kosan, Japan’s second-largest oil refiner, may seem an unlikely partner for the EV sector. But Toyota claims that the company has been working on developing “elementary technologies” for batteries since 2001, five years before Toyota began developing them in 2006. More specifically, Idemitsu has developed a new material, a solid sulphide electrolyte, to be incorporated into batteries.

With this partnership, Toyota aims to combine Idemitsu’s material expertise with its own production prowess to make solid-state batteries a reality for consumers.

Toyota has outlined a three-phase plan to commercialize solid-state batteries by 2027–2028. However, this does not mean that solid-state EVs will be widely available at that time, as “large-scale mass production” will begin thereafter. It also remains to be seen in which markets Toyota would launch them and how much they would cost. They will probably be more expensive and remain so for years, predicts Reuters.

Honda has also announced plans to introduce solid-state battery-powered EVs by the end of the decade. Honda and Toyota, which have been criticized for lagging in the electrification sector, particularly in relation to Tesla and Chinese carmaker BYD, are rushing to catch up.