Summary
- Toyota is leading the way in the development of solid-state batteries and plans to introduce them in its electric vehicles by the end of the 2020s. These batteries offer advantages such as higher energy density and a longer range of up to 700 miles, alleviating range anxiety for consumers.
- Honda is also working on solid-state battery technology and has partnered with Sony and General Motors for its research. The company is developing a polymer fabric layer to prevent the formation of dendrites and extend the life of the battery by 10 years.
- Solid-state batteries have the potential to revolutionize the electric vehicle market by offering a faster charging time of as little as 10 minutes and reducing manufacturing costs due to their higher energy density and use of fewer rare materials. They could give Toyota and Honda a significant advantage over other EV manufacturers.
When it comes to electric vehicles, the battle is heating up. Tesla, once kings of the EV world, now find increased competition from the likes of Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW. There are some late bloomers though with Honda and Toyota taking their time to get into the EV race but now, with solid-state battery technology (SSBs) firmly a part of their plan, they may leapfrog their rivals in one big jump. Solid-state batteries potentially come with an advantage in terms of weight, range, cost and more.
Toyota is leading the way in the solid-state race, but Honda is not too far behind. Should both manufacturers crack the solid-state battery technology and the market then it would be quite the game changer for the electric car segment.
Toyota Leading The Way With Solid-State Batteries
Solid-state battery advantages
- Higher energy density
- Faster charging times
- Improved safety
- Improved reliability
- Lower weight than lithium-ion batteries
Toyota has been admittedly slower in taking up the challenge of the EV market, but it's been working behind the scenes to develop some impressive new technologies. The company is currently pursuing a “multi pathway approach”, meaning it can introduce optimal powertrains for each region in which it will sell its cars. By 2025, Toyota plans to have at least 15 fully electric vehicles in its lineup, a stark contrast from just the bZ4X that it has as part of its electric range right now. Initially, Toyota’s EVs will use the traditional lithium-ion batteries as the range expands.
However, solid-state batteries are coming in a few years’ time, with the Japanese manufacturers having 1,000 patents in solid-state battery technology as it explores as many options as possible. Part of its drive to pursue this new technology is to ensure it has the best range possible for an EV. At the time of writing, the longest-range EV on the market is the Lucid Air Grand Touring Edition. This electric vehicle has 516 miles of range on offer, with Toyota’s bZ4X having less than half of that range. Toyota clearly feels that this isn’t good enough for a manufacturer that has very high standards.
The extending of its EV range is coming in two phases. Firstly, by 2026, Toyota hopes to develop lithium-ion batteries with a range of 620 miles. Following that, solid-state batteries will emerge that allow for 745 miles of range in total. Ensuring that, unless Honda gets on top of things quicker, Toyota has the highest range of any EV on the market. Another bonus is that the new batteries will have a rapidly reduced charging time, being able to charge up in as little as 10 minutes in some cases.
Honda Are Further Behind With Solid-State Batteries
Honda are certainly further behind than Toyota on solid-state battery technology, but there is not a lot in it. The manufacturer has detailed what it expects regarding its new batteries, saying it expects to set preconditions and targets when it comes to things such as its battery structure, the materials used as well as its production methods. Honda is cleverly already factoring the production process into its research, ensuring that it should become easier to select the materials needed for production as well as shorten the development period of the new batteries.
Honda has been clever in not going it alone in researching solid-state batteries. It has collaborated with Sony and General Motors on various EV projects including the new battery technology, which is trickier to get right than lithium-ion. One way in which it is doing this is by creating a fabric buffer layer, that should prevent the formation of dendrites and without compromising the performance of the battery. Dendrites are tiny and rigid tree-like structures of lithium metal that can grow in the inside of a battery. Over time, these become worse and worse and too much for the solid-state battery to handle, and it can cause major damage to the charging and power emitting of the battery.
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The polymer fabric layer that Honda is producing should ensure that the battery is not susceptible to these dendrites and hopefully save it from destruction and degradation in the coming years. Honda has also realized that by adding this new layer within its batteries, the life of the solid-state battery could expand further by around 10 years. Ensuring that it should easily last the duration of ownership for the vehicle. With Honda looking to have a massively expanded EV range by the end of the decade, it's clearly prepared to make big inroads at a rapid pace of time.
What Are The Advantages Of Solid-State Batteries?
Solid-state batteries are certainly looking like they have a lot more to offer your conventional lithium-ion battery. Solid state batteries have some advantages such as higher energy density, but perhaps the biggest gain for the consumer is the range and charging time they will offer. A range of up to 700 miles would certainly alleviate range anxiety which is still a major problem for a lot of consumers. When they do run out of energy, they should take a lot less time to charge up, as quick as ten minutes as we have explored already.
This is a big contrast to the 30 minutes of charging time using the fastest level 3 DC chargers for lithium-ion battery cars. For the manufacturers, the biggest advantage is the massively reduced manufacturing costs with solid-state batteries also using less rare materials, compared to their lithium-ion counterparts. Thanks to their higher energy density as well, as much as 2.5-times more than a lithium-ion battery, solid-states can become smaller than a regular battery, saving on weight and keeping costs down even further. With weight a big concern for EVs at the moment this is a big step-up for electric cars.
When Will Solid-State Battery Vehicles Be Available?
Despite the obvious advantages of the solid-state battery, neither Honda nor Toyota will rush its development of the technology as getting it right will give both manufacturers a huge advantage over rivals. Toyota has been conducting its own solid-state development work through Prime Planet Energy & Solution Inc, which is in itself a joint partnership with Panasonic. That, like Honda’s own partnerships, should allow the technology to reach mass-produced vehicles quicker and thus supersede lithium-ion technology as fast as possible.
Projections suggest that by the end of the 2020s, we should have at least Toyota providing solid-state batteries in its vehicles with Honda hopefully not far behind. Should both manufacturers crack the technology, then they will potentially have a huge advantage over nearly every other EV maker in the world. Making the future of electric vehicles incredibly fascinating.
Sources: Honda, Toyota