Toyota Motor will collaborate with Idemitsu Kosan, one of Japan's leading energy companies, to accelerate all-solid-state battery development. The pair aims to put the batteries into Toyota's battery EVs between 2027 and 2028. Mass production of the technology is expected to begin after 2030.
Koji Sato, Toyota's president and CEO, and Shunichi Kito, Idemitsu's president and CEO, jointly announced the partnership on October 12. The two companies will work on developing mass-production technology for sulfide solid electrolytes and establish a supply chain to realize the mass production of all-solid-state batteries for BEVs.
Toyota and Idemitsu's total investment into the commercialization of the batteries remains unknown. At the press conference on Thursday, Sato said the solid electrolytes allow ions, which convey electricity in a battery, to move faster. Solid-state batteries will enable shorter charging times for EVs and increase the driving range.
He also said a characteristic of solid-state batteries is high stability, as they are resistant to temperature changes. Especially robust, they endure high temperatures and voltages. The smaller size of the batteries will enable a larger vehicle cabin, he added.
According to a joint announcement, Toyota and Idemitsu will focus on the quality, costs and lead times of sulfide solid electrolytes in the first phase of their collaboration.
Sato said certain amounts of battery volume must be achieved before cost reduction efforts can start. In 2027 and 2028, the two companies will start producing all-solid-state batteries for BEVs and lay a foundation for mass production, which will begin after 2030.
The Toyota president mentioned that durability is a long-standing issue for solid-state batteries. Repeated charging and discharging the batteries will cause cracks between the cathode, anode, and solid electrolyte, degrading the performance.
He said Toyota and Idemitsu have developed a crack-resistant material to solve the issue and are on track to approach mass production.
Idemitsu said it plans to construct a large pilot facility to support the commercialization of the joint-developed batteries between 2027 and 2028. Its production complex in Chiba, Japan, is one of the candidates for the pilot facility.
