![]() ![]() To date, Tesla has not detailed any solid-state battery plans. Nissan and Honda have also made commitments to solid-state battery development, while others, including Volkswagen, Ford, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz are working with external battery manufacturers to take this step. But in terms of patent numbers, they trail far behind the Toyota-Idemitsu behemoth. The JustAuto patent search (linked above) shows that other automakers, including Hyundai, Kia and Honda, are actively researching their own solid-state batteries. Who else is working on solid-state batteries? JustAuto recently reported that Toyota has registered a staggering 8,274 solid-state battery patents many of which are jointly assigned to Idemitsu (here’s one example from 2016). And it seems that their intellectual property officers have been busy protecting everything they possibly can. Given the potential commercial impact of the research, it’s perhaps unsurprising that the relevant developments are being published within patents, rather than through peer-reviewed papers. In terms of specifics, that’s about as much as we know….and unfortunately, all we’re likely to know for a while. He continued, “we are now on the path toward achieving both performance and durability in solid-state batteries.” During the press conference, Toyota President and CEO Koji Sato suggested that it’s here the breakthrough has been made, referring to “a highly flexible, adhesive, and crack-resistant solid electrolyte,” made by “combining the material technologies of both companies”. ![]() In addition, repeated charge-discharge cycles can cause cracks to form between these components, significantly limiting the lifetime of the battery. At this stage, it’s hard to say whether that timeline is achievable – I always err on the side of cynical – but the company is making a lot of noise.Ī major challenge for solid-state batteries is around maintaining good contact between the electrodes and the electrolyte sandwiched between them. Their roadmap points to having commercial batteries by 2027-28, followed by mass production at some point after that. How far are they from achieving it? From what I can tell, Idemitsu already has a small-scale pilot facility for producing electrolytes, and the two companies are constructing a larger facility that will integrate materials manufacture and battery assembly. This compares to the Tesla Model Y, which currently has a range of 542 km, and fast-charges in 27 minutes. Toyota’s stated goal is for their solid-state batteries to ultimately have a range of >1,200km, and to go from 10 – 80% charge in 10 minutes or less. Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg © 2023 Bloomberg Finance LP executive officer of Idemitsu Kosan Co., looks on during a joint news conference in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday, Oct. Koji Sato, president of Toyota Motor Corp., left, speaks while Shunichi Kito, president and chief. This latest agreement is firmly focused on commercialization and mass production – specifically, of solid-state batteries that use sulfide electrolytes. According to Toyota’s press announcement, they’ve also been turning by-products into various battery-related materials since 2001, and the two companies have been collaborating on materials development since 2013. Idemitsu’s main business involves extracting crude oil and turning it into a range of commercial chemicals, including lubricants and plastics. ![]() We got some insight in November, when the company signed a new cooperation agreement with Idemitsu Kosan, Japan's second-largest oil refiner. The specific details of this “technological breakthrough that overcomes the longstanding challenge of battery durability”, (first teased back in June) remain scant, at least by academic standards. As such, they can be made smaller and thinner than today’s lithium-ion systems. They are more structurally stable, and don’t contain any volatile liquids at risk of leaking. Solid-state batteries also don’t have to be the same size or shape as liquid-electrolyte batteries. And solid-state battery materials are likely to have higher energy densities too, which means that for the same weight, you can store more power. Their high resistance to heat also means they can be safely charged more quickly than lithium-ion batteries. These battery materials can withstand low and high temperatures, making them very useful in extreme conditions. But the potential benefits of adopting solid-state batteries are significant. ![]()
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