Toyota Solid State battery UPDATE

Toyota releases its latest update on future solid-state batteries for EVs, promising production cars with a 745-mile range by 2027.

We’ve been following Toyota’s efforts to deliver a commercially viable Solid State battery for EVs since 2011 and, although progress is clearly being made the predictions of when this will happen have been something of a moveable feast.

Back in 2011, Toyota reckoned Solid State batteries would deliver a 600-mile range, be less susceptible to temperature and cost up to 90 per cent less to produce than the then-current lithium-ion offerings. Toyota said all this would be a reality by 2020.

Various updates over the years saw Toyota pretty much on track for 2020, although it became clear it would be prototype time in 2020, not a production car.

The plan was to showcase a Toyota with solid-state batteries at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but Covid put a stop to that and we did see a solid-site-powered Toyota EV in 2021.

Now we get the latest update from Toyota, and although the timeline has slipped a chunk (production of Toyota EVs with solid-state batteries is planned for 2027) the predictions seem to be more fact-based than hope based.

Toyota says they have had a technical breakthrough which solves the durability problems they had experienced which will make the 2027 timeline viable, and are promising a range of 745 miles (and plans for 930 miles to follow) with 10 minutes charge time for 10-80 per cent.

Toyota also says that in the meantime it can improve its current battery tech to deliver up to 620 miles of range by 2026.