Toyota to unveil solid-state battery EV prototype next year

In the race to produce the first electric car with a solid-state battery, Toyota is in the lead. The Japanese giant plans to debut its first working prototype in 2021, with a production car going on sale sometime in the early 2020s according to a new report in the Nikkei.

The technology would usher in a new era of EVs, as solid-state batteries are more compact, charge faster, safer and possess more energy density than the traditional lithium-ion batteries that are in current widespread use. They use a solid electrolyte rather than a liquid or gel polymer electrolytes found in in Li-ion units. That means they require less physical space to produce the same amount of energy, and are less prone to fire when damaged.

It's estimated that a solid-state car could have a range of 1000  kilometers (621 miles) and take 10 minutes to charge. Solid-state batteries deteriorate less over time, and Toyota aims to retain 90% of the battery's performance over a 30-year lifespan. Toyota leads the solid-state battery patent count, owning over 1,000 related to the technology.

There are still difficulties in manufacturing solid-state batteries, however. They require extremely dry conditions during production, and the raw lithium required is a scarce resource. To help accelerate development of the technology, the Nikkei reports that the Japanese government is considering spending part of a new ¥2 trillion ($19.2 billion) decarbonization fund in building a solid-state battery production infrastructure in the country. Industrial firms such as Mitsui Kinzoku, petrol company Idemitsu Kosan, and Sumitomo Chemical are all gearing up to make the solid electrolytes.