Electric vehicles have had a rough time lately. After rapidly gaining market share, probably due to the interest of early adopters, EVs hit a roadblock this year and the predictions for the imminent future aren\u2019t promising. Perhaps the biggest issue is how different they are from internal combustion machines \u2013 EVs have a significantly lower range, charge more slowly, and cost more. For quite a long time, we\u2019ve been led to believe that solid-state batteries will solve the range and charging issues, though manufacturing them at scale was a real problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fortunately, we are now one step closer to having battery-electric vehicles with solid-state batteries. According to Taipei-based intelligence provider TrendForce, Toyota, the automaker that\u2019s the most vocal about its achievements in developing state-of-the-art solid-state batteries, started pilot production. But the Japanese giant isn\u2019t alone; according to the same research, Nissan and Samsung SDI are also doing the same. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Crucially, according to TrendForce, this should result in the ability of these companies to produce GWh levels of solid-state batteries by 2027. This seems like a very optimistic take, though not entirely surprising. Toyota was already targeting 2027-2028 for the commercial launch of its solid-state battery technology, though many insiders doubted the Japanese automaker\u2019s ability to achieve such a feat. Not to mention, QuantumScape, a California-based startup, financed by Volkswagen Group, is also working on a solution and wants to reach the market in the same timeframe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TrendForce\u2019s projections say that by 2030, the cost of SSBs will be around 14 cents\/Wh. Again, this is a very optimistic take, because it\u2019s the same price as Li-ion batteries in 2023. Not only that, but the research firm predicts the price to reach 10 cents\/Wh in 2035.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s important to note that various companies work on different SSB configurations. Sulfide-based SSBs, for example, developed by Toyota, Samsung SDI, and BYD, have an ionic conductivity similar to Li-ion batteries. Meanwhile, oxide SSBs have higher internal resistance but are cheaper to produce. Finally, polymer-based SSBs offer additional cost advantages, though they also have lower ionic conductivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Regardless of the technology, an SSB should provide significantly higher energy density in a smaller package when compared to a Li-ion battery. Toyota predicts that its solution will bring EVs with a 750-mile range to the market, which should charge in minutes. Still, the Japanese automaker might first put its SSB technology in plug-in hybrid vehicles, because they require smaller batteries, resulting in a smaller cost discrepancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n