Electric car tech is ever-improving, as more and more manufacturers move away from ICE vehicles and more towards a future involving just EVs and hybrids. One company that you know will have a solid EV future is Toyota, being one of the world's biggest car companies with the greatest success in electrified vehicles. One huge EV innovation that has always been just out of reach is that of the solid state battery. But Toyota is now preparing a revolutionary solid-state battery for this year that might well pave the way for a fantastic range of vehicles from the company, and others to follow.
Toyota And Their Battery Progress
The ColdFusion YouTube channel discusses this at length in one of their latest videos, and they mention how charging times and range are some of the biggest issues surrounding the current state of electric vehicles. Solid-state batteries are still in their infancy, despite being in development since the 1950s, but Toyota might have cracked the code as to how to get these batteries into a large scale market.
They have been researching these batteries since 2012, and last year, they announced a prototype car that is set to utilize this solid-state battery technology. The company has over 1000 patents involving these batteries, showing that they mean business when it comes to this part of the market. SSB’s use a solid electrolyte as opposed to a liquid or polymer gel that you would find in lithium-ion batteries, but produce 70-80% less heat.
Safer And Longer Range
They are safer to operate, have a potential 15-minute or less fast charge capability, and have a higher energy density, providing potentially double the range compared to a regular lithium-ion battery. That is pretty much the trifecta in battery innovation.
There are hurdles, however. They are expensive to produce, and there are question marks about how they perform in very cold temperatures, where some people will inevitably live. But Toyota is still aiming for a production run of these cars in the next five years.
Sources: YouTube, Car And Driver