Lexus/Toyota Solid-State Batteries & Aero Tech Could Give Us 750-Mile-Range EVs
Hypersonic aerodynamics, solid-state batteries, and giga casting, are some of the ways Toyota plans to change the future of cars.
Toyota has been criticized in the past for lagging behind in EV technology. Well, they appear to have been listening and they are responding in a big way. Toyota Motor Corporation recently held a technical briefing session with the theme “Let’s Change the Future of Cars”, where they unleashed an avalanche of exciting new technologies. In addition to solid-state batteries, other technologies appear to be taken right from a UFO. It almost seems like the Toyota execs were saying to the world “oh we are not leading the way when it comes to EVs? Well, watch this!” There is so much information to unpack here, but the upshot of it all is that Toyota does not seem to be messing around. They really do seem intent on changing the future of cars.
Kirk Kreifels recently uploaded a video to his YouTube channel in an effort to summarize all the news that Toyota recently dropped on an unsuspecting world. It is exciting stuff, but we will warn you going in that there is a LOT of information here. Toyota didn’t stop at just suggesting battery technology will be improved. They are changing the way cars are built, how aerodynamics is managed, how the factories are designed and so much more. And these changes are not twenty-year projections. These are all near term goals within the next three to five years. Get comfortable as we unpack it all for you.
Next Generation Batteries
Of all the big news, this may be the biggest. Toyota is announcing the plan to release the next generation lithium-ion batteries in 2026. These new batteries are expected to deliver a range of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles). They will also charge faster with a target of going from 10 to 80 percent charge in 20 minutes or less. The company also plans to offer a lower cost bipolar structure battery using lithium iron phosphate. These will likely have 20 percent less range and take up to 30 minutes to charge compared to the next gen lithium-ion batteries. But these bipolar batteries will cost up to 40 percent less. Good stuff, but the most exciting battery news is the solid-state battery announcement.
The target release for commercial solid-state batteries is in 2027 or 2028. These batteries should reduce charge time to 10 minutes or less. And Toyota is also developing a higher performance solid-state battery which they want to achieve over 750 miles of range. These will be the most expensive of the new battery options but also the most advanced. If they can really bring the charge time down below 10 minutes that will remove a significant barrier many buyers have towards purchasing an EV.
Hypersonic Technology
This is the space-age stuff. It is aerodynamic technology based on rocket hypersonic technology. Toyota is collaborating with the Space Systems Division of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. We told you this was space-age stuff. This new technology aims to reduce aerodynamic drag on vehicles regardless of the actual shape of the vehicle. Less drag of course means more performance and better range. The target is a Coefficient of Drag of 0.1. For perspective the 2023 Prius has a Coefficient of Drag of 0.27. Toyota hopes to achieve this by surrounding the vehicle in a boundary layer, so it travels in its own bubble to virtually eliminate wind resistance.
Manufacturing Process Updates
Toyota also announced changes to their manufacturing process to help them increase profitability on the EVs that they will build. One big change will be the adoption of giga casting. This process essentially simplifies the structural design of the vehicle. Instead of dozens of sheet metal parts there will be one integrated molding. It reduces the number of parts and reduces waste.
In addition, Toyota is looking to move to a self-propelled assembly line. This will eliminate conveyors as cars under assembly will move to the next process on their own. This will reduce factory investment costs as the factories will become much more flexible. Lead time to prepare for mass production will be significantly reduced.
Future of Cars
Toyota dumped a lot of information on us today, and it is quite a bit to absorb. But one thing is becoming abundantly clear. That one thing is that Toyota is not going to be content playing follow the leader when it come to EVs. Toyota is looking to be a leader and they are serious about changing the future of cars.
Images: Toyota
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