Even though EV options are getting a lot of attention, Toyota’s next big step forward will depend a lot on solid-state batteries. Toyota already has a working prototype, and it will change the range and efficiency. However, Toyota’s business newspaper, Toyota Times, said that solid-state batteries won’t be used to power regular EVs for a while. A petrochemical business called Idemitsu Kosan and Toyota said earlier this month that they would work together to make solid-state batteries. A “flexible, highly adhesive, and crack-resistant solid electrolyte material” made of ceramic-like sulfides would be used in these batteries to make them much better than current lithium-ion batteries. Solid-state technology has a higher energy density, which means it is lighter and works better at the same time. It also lets you charge faster and lowers the risk of fire. The situation is good for everyone. When can you and I buy cars? As was already said, Toyota has a production schedule and aims to release its first solid-state BEV in the middle to late 2020s. In the fiscal year 2027, the two companies will start making a few hundred tons of the special solution as a test run. If you know anything about EV batteries, you’ll know that a few thousand tons per year isn’t much when they start the “mass production phase” in 2030. Toyota says this will only be enough for “over ten thousand vehicles,” which suggests that these won’t be found soon powering an EV Corolla. They may power the next generation of Halo cars, which may or may not be Lexus cars. The Lexus Electrified Sport Concept racecar is a clear winner. It will take the place of the famous LFA right away. This is different from the car that Lexus is getting ready for GT3 racing with a V8 engine. Toyota’s best BEVs should have a range of at least 435 miles when they first come out, but with more improvements, they could go 900 miles or more. New technologies usually start on high-end cars and then work their way down through refinements. However, Toyota’s production capacity makes this unlikely any time soon. There’s not a good chance that these new batteries will power many EVs even in 10 years.
