Nissan introduced a solid-state battery prototype production facility on Friday, April 8, a key step in the automaker's goal of developing and delivering an electric vehicle (EV) powered by next-generation battery technology by 2028.
Solid-state batteries feature a higher energy density than lithium-ion batteries, a substantially quicker charging time due to greater charge/discharge performance, and a lower cost due to having less expensive components.
Nissan To Develop Solid-State Batteries
Nissan revealed its prototype manufacturing facility at the Nissan Research Center in Kanagawa Prefecture to help the brand advance the development of all-solid-state batteries.
The design, materials and manufacturing procedures developed at the Nissan Research Center for the prototype will be employed in a pilot production line at Nissan's Yokohama plant in 2024.
Nissan aims to debut an EV using all-solid-state batteries produced in-house by 2028.
According to Engadget, Nissan wants to bring the cost of solid-state batteries down to $75 per kWh by 2028 and $65 per kWh thereafter, putting EVs on a par with gasoline-powered automobiles in terms of price.
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However, while car brands see solid-state battery technology as the key to bringing cheaper and longer-range EVs to the masses, commercializing these batteries for EVs has proven to be challenging. Currently, the batteries are costly to produce and difficult to scale, as reported by TechCrunch.
While the advantages are numerous, even Nissan admits that batteries with a solid electrolyte are not without risk. A liquid electrolyte, such as the one present in today's lithium-ion batteries, can fuel a fire. However, increasing the energy density of a battery could be hazardous as well.
Other Car Brands Also Plan to Develop Solid-State Batteries
Nissan is not the only company vying to be the first car brand to market with solid-state batteries.
Toyota stated in 2020 that it was working on prototypes driven by solid-state batteries, and announced in 2022 that it will begin selling vehicles powered by solid-state batteries by 2025.
However, Engadget held that Toyota's goal of incorporating the technology into hybrid vehicles by 2025 is one of the clearest and most ambitious plans for the technology.
According to The Verge, Ford will have the all-solid-state batteries it is developing ready by the end of the decade, while Volkswagen-backed QuantumScape intends to start selling them in 2024. As they strive to electrify their portfolios, General Motors, Stellantis, and Mercedes-Benz have also invested in solid-state battery startups.
Benefits of Solid-State Batteries
Nissan noted that all-solid-state batteries are projected to be a game-changer in boosting the popularity of EVs. Solid-state batteries offer around double the energy density of conventional lithium-ion batteries, resulting in much shorter charging times due to greater charge/discharge performance while using lower-cost materials than other EVs on the road today.
In addition to having a higher energy density, these batteries last longer and are considered safer than lithium-ion batteries, TechCrunch added.
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