Toyota is on the brink of taking the electric car industry to the next level. It claims it is close to being able to mass produce solid state batteries.
That means the best EVs of the near future could achieve ranges of 700 miles and more on a single charge. What's more, charging time could shrink, with the company suggesting that a full charge could take just 10 minutes.
As reported by the Financial Times, Toyota claims to have found "a solution for materials" to produce solid state batteries more effectively, the company has signed a deal with energy group Idemitsu Kosan to co-develop sulphide solid electrolyte – a vital ingredient to improve the durability of the technology.
This, it says, will not only enable the batteries to be stronger and more stable, but will help the manufacturer produce them more quickly and in much higher volume. In fact, it believes that it could match the scale of lithium-ion battery production soon.
"In terms of the stacking speed, we are almost there. We are going to roll out bigger volumes and check the quality," a Toyota engineer told the FT.
There are still some hurdles to overcome during the production process, such as the tech's sensitivity to moisture and oxygen, but the company believes it is close to having a solution nailed down.
Its first big push for the use of solid state batteries will be in 2027, it is thought. Toyota's president, Koji Sato, has confirmed plans to introduce an electric vehicle using the technology in the next few years: "I think the most important thing at the moment is to put out [the solid-state batteries] into the world and we will consider expansion in volume from there," he said.
Toyota isn't only working on solid state battery tech to achieve greater ranges, it announced in June that it also plans to utilise hydrogen fuel cells in the future. This, combined with better aerodynamics on its cars could result in ranges of over 900 miles.
However, solid state battery development is being seen as the magic bullet by many to help drive the industry forward. And further.
