Toyota claims that it has made a “technological breakthrough” that will enable the development of solid-state batteries that not only feature a range of 745 miles, but can be charged in as little as 10 minutes. As a point of comparison, Tesla’s longest-range EV, the $88,490 Model S, offers a range of up to 405 miles, with Li-ion battery charging times ranging anywhere from under an hour to days depending on the hardware involved. Toyota thinks it’ll be able to launch these solid-state batteries for use in EVs as soon as 2027.
“For both our liquid and 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 Toyota’s research and development centre for carbon neutrality, teasing a simplified production process. “In terms of potential, we will aim to halve all of these factors.”
“All of our members are highly motivated and are working with the intention to definitely launch” he added.
The comments come after the world’s largest carmaker by sales surprised investors last month with plans to commercialise its solid-state battery technology in an electric vehicle by 2027 at the earliest. Toyota is also working on the technology with Panasonic through their joint battery venture.
Solid-state batteries have long been heralded by industry experts as the most promising technology to solve EV battery problems such as charging time, capacity and the risk of catching fire. They replace a liquid electrolyte with a solid one and use lithium metal at the anode instead of graphite, the current standard in lithium-ion batteries.