Toyota’s planned solid-state batteries will debut not in an EV but in an upcoming hybrid, an executive said in a recent interview with Autoline.
The battery, which is on track for commercialization by 2025, will appear in hybrids because that allows for a smaller, less cost-sensitive battery pack, said Toyota chief scientist Gill Pratt. fee.
Hybrids also represent a “tougher test” for solid-state technology, Pratt said, because the amount of battery that works in that use-case is higher. As Toyota gains more experience with solid-state battery cells, he said, and as costs drop, the automaker will expand its use into all-electric vehicles, he said.
Toyota Prius 2020
One of the claimed benefits of solid-state batteries is greater energy density, but Pratt said Toyota is also hoping that they will reduce charging times. That has yet to be confirmed, as development work is currently focused on solid-state battery hybrid implementations, he noted. Faster charging will also require upgrades to the power grid and the charging network, he said.
Pratt did not confirm which models will use solid-state batteries, but the technology could help revive the hybrid generation that started it all.
Toyota Prius was once a hybrid trend-setter, so solid state tiles, some plug-in capabilities, and a new form might be what it takes to stay relevant again.
2022 Toyota Prius Nightshade
Last month Toyota announced plans for 30 EVs globally by 2030, revealing a dozen concepts previewing some of those models. Automakers said affordability, not range, will be the highlight for the company’s future EVs. Toyota’s first mass-market electric vehicle is the BZ4X crossover, which is also expected to underpin the Lexus RZ, Toyota’s luxury brand.
Toyota has a plan make batteries in the United States, but they will be for hybrids initially. Will solid-state cells become part of those plans—perhaps part of Prime plug-in hybrids with even better mpg?
