After seemingly being left in the dust by its competitors in China and the United States when it comes to green transportation technologies, Japan appears to be catching up if Toyota’s recent announcement is anything to go by.
The automotive titan recently announced that it is set to develop an all-solid-state battery to power electric vehicles (EVs) in light of Japan coming under fire for not doing enough to deal with climate change. Indeed, Toyota’s solid-state battery could hit the market within the next four years, and company president Koji Sato expressed hopes that it could deliver 1.5 million EV units by 2026.
What Makes the Toyota Battery Different from the Competition?
The new solid-state battery has also fired the curiosity of industry watchers as it could address one roadblock to the greater adoption of EVs in the mainstream: charging time.
While many EV owners have charging ports at home, they usually need to keep the unit plugged in overnight to fully charge it.
If Toyota is successful in its endeavor, its next-generation battery will cut overall charging time down to ten minutes, possibly even less, in its next run of EVs. Plus, while Toyota is currently working on innovations for existing lithium-ion battery technology, it also hopes to offer more affordable and smarter fuel solutions in the near future.
Known as a long-time advocate for hybrid cars, Toyota is also committed to a fuel model centered on the use of hydrogen for powering vehicles. However, hydrogen remains an expensive commodity, and producing it has been called into question as most hydrogen firms derive the gas from fossil fuels despite methods that make use of renewables. The company also declared that it is working with several other firms to develop a cleaner and more cost-effective way of producing hydrogen for vehicular purposes.