One of the world's biggest car manufacturers has announced plans to mass-produce a type of battery for electric vehicles (EVs) that can last far longer and charge much quicker than current technologies.
On October 8, Toyota and the Japan-based Sumitomo Metal Mining Company announced a joint venture to mass-produce cathode materials for solid-state batteries, to be used in the automaker’s battery-powered EVs.
Together, the companies "aim to achieve the world’s first practical use of all-solid-state batteries " in battery-powered EVs, the statement added.
A typical lithium-ion battery has a liquid electrolyte solution sandwiched between two solid electrodes. The new solid-state battery would replace that liquid electrolyte with a third solid.
Because the liquid electrolyte in lithium-ion batteries is flammable, switching to a solid-state battery comes with a lower fire risk. Solid-state batteries also have the potential for higher energy densities than lithium-ion batteries, meaning they could power a car for longer with the same size battery.
Toyota and Sumitomo Metal Mining have been researching materials for solid-state batteries together since 2021. As part of the push toward a solid-state battery for electric vehicles, the two companies have developed what they describe as a "highly durable cathode material," which will act as one of the electrodes in the planned solid-state batteries. Neither company has released details about the new cathode material.
Sumitomo Metal Mining plans to supply this cathode material to manufacturers beginning in 2028, a company spokesperson told Reuters.
"We will prioritize supplying Toyota, then respond flexibly to market demand," the spokesperson said.
In addition to Toyota, carmakers such as Honda, Nissan, BMW and Volkswagen are developing their own solid-state batteries, alone or in partnerships with other companies. Many aim to release electric vehicles containing solid-state batteries in the next few years, according to Inside EVs.
Honda has previously said it would begin producing solid-state batteries for EVs that could deliver 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) on a single charge by 2030. This would more than double the range of the best EVs on the market today.
ProLogium, a ceramic battery maker, also unveiled a solid-state battery concept last year that could be charged from 5% to 60% capacity in just five minutes.
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