Toyota, for all its emphasis on alternatives to EVs, is one of the biggest investors in their next quantum leap: Solid-state batteries. They promise to revolutionize range and performance, and Toyota already has a working prototype. But solid-state batteries won't be powering EVs for the masses any time soon, as Toyota acknowledged in its company newspaper Toyota Times.
Earlier this month, Toyota announced a production partnership with Idemitsu Kosan, a petrochemical company with which it will manufacture solid-state batteries. These batteries will use a "flexible, highly adhesive, and crack-resistant solid electrolyte material" made of ceramic-like sulfides to bring comprehensive improvements over lithium-ion battery chemistry, the current standard. Solid-state offers more energy density, reducing weight and boosting performance, while allowing faster charging and less risk of fire. It seems to be a win-win, so when's it coming to cars you and I can buy?
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