Nissan show that they’re not behind on solid-state battery technology.
There has been a lot of talk around new battery technologies for electric vehicles, particularly around solid-state battery technology. Solid-state batteries are said to be game-changing, with high energy density, shorter charging times, lower cost and less exotic materials. These are the factors why big companies like Toyota and Volkswagen are betting big on solid-state batteries.
The latest car company to showcase its plan for solid state batteries is Nissan. This week, they unveiled the new ‘Nissan Research Centre’ in Kanagawa Prefecture – a facility dedicated to the research and development of such batteries. This facility is set up as a prototype production plant for these solid-state batteries to be used in-house, though we’re quite sure Nissan will willingly share some with Renault and Mitsubishi, who are part of their Alliance.
The next step is to establish a pilot production line at the Yokohama plant by 2024 and then start producing the solid-state batteries by 2028 at a price of US$75 per kWh. Once the cost gets pushed down to US$65 per kWh, electric vehicles will be as cheap to build as gasoline cars.
Here’s the press release with more.
PRESS RELEASE
Nissan today unveiled its prototype production facility for laminated all-solid-state battery cells, which the company aims to bring to market in 2028. This prototype facility, within the Nissan Research Center in Kanagawa Prefecture, is aimed to further promote the development of all-solid-state-batteries.
Under its long-term vision, Nissan Ambition 2030, Nissan aims to launch an EV with all-solid-state batteries developed in-house by fiscal 2028. It plans to establish a pilot production line at its Yokohama Plant in fiscal 2024, with materials, design and manufacturing processes for prototype production on the line to be studied at the prototype production facility. Nissan believes all-solid-state batteries can be reduced to $75 per kWh in fiscal 2028 and to $65 per kWh thereafter, placing EVs at the same cost level as gasoline-powered vehicles.
All-solid-state batteries are expected to be a game-changing technology for accelerating the popularity of electric vehicles. They have an energy density approximately twice that of conventional lithium-ion batteries, significantly shorter charging time due to superior charge/discharge performance, and lower cost thanks to the opportunity of using less expensive materials. With these benefits, Nissan expects to use all-solid-state batteries in a wide range of vehicle segments, including pickup trucks, making its EVs more competitive.
