How Toyota Has Put Every Automaker On Notice With Its 745-Mile Solid-State Battery
Sometimes it looks like Toyota still thinks EVs are a peculiar fad. While the standard-bearer of Japanese reliability has gone all-in on hybrids, it waited until 2022 to introduce an EV (the bZ4X crossover). However, Toyota is now threatening to take over the world of EVs just like it dominates ICE and hybrids. After a long period of development, the company’s long-awaited solid-state battery is nearing production. This could be the biggest change in EVs since the frunk replaced the engine bay.
Lithium-ion batteries have emerged as the EV industry standard, but they have too many shortcomings.
Range anxiety keeps many people from switching to EVs. Solid-state batteries will eliminate that problem.
SSBs will also free up interior space and payload capacity.
Up until now, lithium-ion batteries have been the standard for EVs. No other battery type can hold enough charge in a small enough space. Indeed, the proliferation of lithium-ion batteries was a key factor in the modern-day rise of EVs. General Motors’ short-lived EV1 originally used lead-acid batteries, which effectively gave it the driving range of an ICE car perpetually running on empty.
However, lithium-ion batteries have not been good enough to supersede a full tank of gasoline. Toyota was an early proponent of solid-state batteries as a possible replacement, being one of the first companies to try to make them. It took a long time for others in the industry to take notice. But as the first promising test results and prototypes slowly emerged, the rest of the industry gradually decided to start investing in solid-state batteries.
Toyota's SSB Will Bring Long Driving Ranges To Everyone
Polls have shown that most people are sticking with ICE cars because they offer a long driving range between refueling. While many people could technically get by on a 100-mile driving range, they would have to add daily recharging to their routines. At present, not everyone has access to a vacant charging station every night.
At various times, Toyota has claimed a driving range of anywhere between 745 and 932 miles on a single charge. This would eliminate range anxiety. Indeed, Range may be the biggest reason other automakers have followed Toyota into the world of solid-state batteries. No company wants to lose its would-have-been EV buyers to the automaker with a 745-mile range.