Toyota has been slower than its competitors at making electric cars. The company’s plans for new solid-state batteries could help move the technology forward if it can be used on a large enough scale to be sold commercially. Automotive News says that Toyota will have two solid-state batteries by the end of the decade. During an all-day executive meeting, company leaders stressed how vital the new technology is to its plans to make its range electric. Activists and owners have recently criticised Toyota for being behind the times when it comes to electric vehicles (EVs). But with its current technology, it plans to beat the Japanese company in the next few years. Solid-state battery technology is still in its early stages, so Toyota is now focusing on improving lithium-ion batteries. Toyota is working on a lithium-ion battery pack that will double the range of its current electric SUV, the bZ4X, to 621 miles by 2026. It will cost 20% less than the existing batteries and can be charged from 10% to 80% in less than 20 minutes. From 2026 on, several new lithium-based designs are expected to bring down prices and make present technology work better. Even though these numbers are incredible, they are far from what solid-state solutions will be able to do. The first solid-state battery from Toyota will come out in 2027. It will be 20% more potent than the lithium pack and have a total range of about 745 miles. Even better, refresh times should be under ten minutes. Then, after 2028, a second, more complicated solid-state battery should be on the market. Toyota thinks that by 2026, it will have a range that is 50% better than that lithium-ion pack, giving it a maximum capacity of 932 miles. It’s not a new thing that people make wild promises about what solid-state batteries can do. But when a solid, well-known market player like Toyota says these things, they carry more weight. The company has been investing money into technology for a long time, filing patents and testing samples. The hard part will be getting the technology to a point where it can be made in large quantities at an affordable price. Solid-state batteries face problems with price and life span right now. Before they can be widely used in the car industry, manufacturers must fix problems with dendritic growth and cut the cost of making them. This will take years. Toyota wants to sell 3.5 million electric cars per year by 2030, even though it got off to a slow start. It should be easier to do with types with a vast range because their batteries are so new. Toyota’s future looks promising if solid-state batteries can be made to work.
