TOKYO – Solid-state batteries are one of the hottest areas of research in the EV industry. Nearly every major company in the auto industry is attempting to make them a viable power source for electric cars. Their compactness and lightweight – especially compared to the lithium-ion batteries currently installed in practically every EV – make them too tantalizing to resist.
Despite Toyota’s apparent hesitance to go electric (its only EV at present is the bZ4X SUV), the company has been working on solid-state EV batteries for several years. The Japanese automaker has recently entered a partnership with the petroleum company Idemitsu to bring its solid-state batteries to long-awaited fruition.
Solid-state batteries may put Toyota in an unexpected place in the automotive industry: in the technological lead. Toyota has always been a bit technologically conservative compared to other companies (which is a big part of why its cars and trucks famously never die).
However, as of now, no automaker has managed to get a solid-state battery into a production EV other than Nio. As shown by their absence from roadways and automotive production lines, solid-state batteries seem to defy all attempts to get them to work in cars.
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