The range will increase to 1,200 km, charging will be reduced to ten minutes or less. It’s fair to say that this could change everything.

David Bailey, a professor of business economics at the University of Birmingham, said “If it is a genuine breakthrough, it could be a game-changer, very much the holy grail of battery vehicles.” It’s hard to dispute this. Range anxiety would be a thing of the past. Ten minutes to fully charge the batteries is almost as fast as filling up with petrol or diesel. This also means a much faster flow of vehicles at charging stations; three cars could fully charge in the same time as it currently takes to charge to 80%. Quite literally, this would change everything.


How long before we see these batteries in EV’s?

Toyota believes they can manufacture solid-state batteries for use in electric vehicles as soon as 2027, according to the Financial Times. This technology is also being developed in the UK. One of our grandsons studied at Warwick University, this university is heavily financed and supported by Jaguar. Not surprising as it’s so close to Coventry. He told me several years ago that there was a new development under study, a solid-state battery. It’s not just Warwick, Oxford University is among the seven institutions that have signed a memorandum of understanding promising to work together on the technology.

The Guardian explained the technology like this “Solid-state batteries would improve on the existing technology by swapping a liquid electrolyte, in which lithium ions carry an electric current, for a solid ceramic material. That could raise the batteries’ energy density and make them lighter and smaller. However, while some prototypes exist, companies have struggled to commercialise a durable solid-state battery”.

A couple of weeks ago the Japanese company said it had simplified production of the material used to make them, hailing the discovery as a significant leap forward that could dramatically cut charging times and increase driving range.


Bold claims

Keiji Kaita, president of the Japanese auto firm’s research and development centre for carbon neutrality said “For both our liquid and our solid-state batteries, we are aiming to drastically change the situation where current batteries are too big, heavy and expensive, In terms of potential, we will aim to halve all of these factors.”

Solid-state batteries are a new type of battery technology that has the potential to revolutionize the electric vehicle industry. These batteries use a solid electrolyte instead of a liquid one, which offers several benefits over traditional lithium-ion batteries. Solid-state batteries are safer, more efficient, and have a higher energy density than their liquid counterparts. Research is going on worldwide. Engineers at the University of California San Diego have partnered with LG Energy Solution to develop a new rechargeable solid-state battery. As a result, solid-state batteries have become a hot topic in the electric vehicle industry, with car manufacturers racing to develop and commercialise this new technology. There is no doubt that they will be a complete game changer, and no manufacturer can afford to be left out of the race.


What can these new batteries do?

The benefits of solid-state batteries for electric cars are numerous. Solid-state batteries have a higher energy density, which means they can store more energy in the same amount of space as traditional lithium-ion batteries. This can lead to longer driving ranges for electric cars, up to three times the range and faster charging times, claimed to be as little as 10 minutes for a full charge. Solid-state batteries are also safer than traditional batteries because they are less prone to thermal runaway, which can cause fires and explosions in lithium-ion batteries. On top of that, solid-state batteries have a longer lifespan, which can reduce the need for battery replacements and ultimately lower the cost of electric vehicles.

Despite the many advantages of solid-state batteries, there are still several challenges to their development and commercialisation. One of the biggest challenges is the optimisation of the manufacturing processes. Another challenge is the high cost of producing solid-state batteries, which is currently much higher than traditional lithium-ion batteries. On top of that, there is still a need to develop solid electrolytes with high ion conductivity to enable the development of viable solid-state batteries. Despite these challenges, the potential benefits of solid-state batteries means that every major car manufacturer will want them.


Who will be first?

Toyota is the first company to make a time-based claim, but they are not alone. The car industry is highly competitive, so they can’t afford for one manufacturer to gain an advantage as big as this.

Several companies and organizations are currently developing solid-state batteries for cars, which are expected to offer improved performance and safety compared to traditional lithium-ion batteries. Toyota Motor Corporation is actively working on solid-state battery technology. The automaker is developing these batteries through its joint venture with Panasonic, Prime Planet Energy & Solutions Inc., and aims to launch a commercial solid-state battery as soon as 2027

QuantumScape Corporation is another company that is focused on developing solid-state batteries for cars. The company's next-generation batteries are designed to transform energy storage with solid-state lithium-metal battery technology. QuantumScape has been working for several years to develop a viable solid-state battery for electric vehicles, and in December 2022, the company announced that it had shipped its first batch of 24-layer lithium-metal cells to electric vehicle manufacturers for testing. The solid-state battery technology the startup has been working on promises much greater range and 15-minute charge times.

Solid Power Inc. is a US-based battery developer that specializes in solid-state, sulphide-based electrolyte technology. The company is backed by Ford and BMW and has been working on developing solid-state batteries for electric vehicles. Solid Power began pilot production of an innovative EV battery with a longer range and quicker recharging in June 2022. The company has partnered with BMW to jointly develop solid-state batteries in high-performance electric vehicles, and it is working on using a sulphide-based solid electrolyte in place of the traditional liquid. Like BMW, Ford has also announced a partnership with Solid Power to develop electric vehicles powered by solid-state battery technology.

Mercedes-Benz has already stated it intends to completely electrify its lineup by 2030 and its pursuit of solid-state technology will play a large role in achieving that. Volkswagen entered a partnership with QuantumScape, investing $300 million, to develop electric vehicles powered by solid-state batteries by 2024. BMW is another car maker that is creating partnerships to create a breakthrough in the solid-state battery technology world. They have also partnered up with the US company Solid Power. Nissan aims to get a production plant to begin work on solid-state batteries by 2025. Honda are developing solid-state batteries in-house, they say these developments give them confidence that early applications could be in the second half of the 2020s.

What about Ford? Lisa Drake, vice president of EV industrialisation at Ford, says the technology won't be ready before 2030. Like BMW they are also partnering up with Solid Power. General Motors announced that the company would be investing $7 billion in four different factories, two of which would be dedicated to electric vehicles and batteries alongside most of the capital. Porsche is working on creating an all-electric version of the legendary 911, they have also chosen QuantumScape.

What’s the conclusion?

If you are thinking of going electric, probably best to wait. Within three or four years solid state-powered vehicles will be coming onto the market. Three times the range, at least, and a full charge in ten minutes. Add to that the manufacturers claim that these new batteries will have a thirty-year life, three times conventional batteries. Worth waiting for!

Author

Resident in Portugal for 50 years, publishing and writing about Portugal since 1977. Privileged to have seen, firsthand, Portugal progress from a dictatorship (1974) into a stable democracy. 

Paul Luckman