Toyota's CEO announces the brand's advances in the electric car segment. Discover Toyota's new solid-state battery that will hit the automotive market soon and already promises significant changes in the industry.

Toyota, largest car manufacturer in the world recognized for its dominance in the Global Market, goes through a mix of criticism and praise from its consumers due to its cautious approach towards the emerging trend of eletric cars. While the company has been slow to introduce new electric models, recent evidence suggests it is committed to making significant advances with a new solid-state battery.

Toyota's new battery promises to deliver more than 1 km of autonomy

The automaker's efforts are focused on developing innovative and more efficient technologies for its electric cars, indicating a commitment to sustainability and innovation in the era of electric mobility. In a landmark development, Toyota CEO Koji Sato revealed a new battery technology from Toyota that could change the industry.

Despite great efforts made by the electric car industry, anxiety about battery range remains one of the biggest concerns for buyers. Currently, the electric model with the greatest range is the Air Grand Touring, from the Air Sedan line of Lucid Engines, which can travel up to 830 km on a single charge.

However, this is a luxury car costing over US$140.000, which puts it very out of reach for most customers and this is where Toyota comes into play. Now it looks like the brand may be readying a landmark model with its solid-state battery technology that is safer, cheaper and could give its electric cars have a range of 1207 km.

To try to overcome the safety, durability and cost challenges of current lithium batteries, researchers and engineers have been exploring alternative technologies, like this new battery from Toyota.

How does the solid-state battery announced by Toyota's CEO work?

Toyota's new battery replaces the liquid or gel electrolyte with a solid material, which offers several advantages. Firstly, the elimination of flammable liquid electrolyte significantly improves battery safety. Furthermore, the new component announced by Toyota's CEO is less prone to leaks and overheating, which also reduces the risk of fire. This improved safety is of great importance for electric cars.

Solid-state batteries can offer high energy density, which means they can store more energy in the same space. This increased energy density can result in greater distance range for each charge and also a reduction in consumer concerns.

Another factor is that Toyota's new battery should have a longer lifespan and better durability when compared to lithium-ion batteries. With reduced degradation, solid-state batteries can offer better performance and longevity, reducing the need to frequently replace batteries, which lowers the cost of electric cars.

With a high energy density, Toyota's new battery can be produced in more compact sizes, preventing an accordion effect of expansion and contraction of the material, which leads to the degradation of lithium batteries. This also means shorter charging times.

Challenges encountered during the production phase of Toyota's new battery

The longer lifespan could mean that these batteries announced by Toyota's CEO could last longer than the electric cars themselves. However, there are challenges that need to be overcome. Before these goals are achieved, a major obstacle for Toyota's new battery is the high cost of production, as it can be particularly expensive at the current time.

Another hurdle is finding a solid electrolyte material that can efficiently use electrolytes at room temperature. Furthermore, battery durability has been a persistent issue for engineers, and for the industry, ensuring that batteries can withstand multiple charge and discharge cycles over a long period of time without significant degradation is crucial.

Despite these challenges, Toyota's CEO says he has made significant progress in addressing the shelf life problem and finding solutions that overcome these barriers.

The company has invested in research and development to improve the technology with the intention of implementing this solid-state battery in its electric cars in the coming years. In a recent interview, Toyota's Chief Technology Officer, Hiroki Nakajima, made a promising announcement stating that the company has already successfully overcome some challenges in developing solid-state batteries, claiming to have found quality material.

Although specific details about the material have not been released, Toyota plans to launch solid-state batteries by 2027. Toyota's leadership in this new battery research is no surprise given its extensive portfolio of more than 1000 patents.