Featured Toyota makes progress on all-solid-state batteries

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by Gokhan, Feb 4, 2026 at 12:59 AM.

  1. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    Toyota has made progress on its all-solid-state batteries with the groundbreaking of its Idemitsu plant for its sulfide-based solid-state electrolyte. They expect limited production in 2027 or 2028.

    @Salamander_King, what does that Japanese figure say? I see a 2030. I personally don’t expect Toyota to go mainstream on solid-state batteries before circa 2035.

    Toyota partner Idemitsu breaks ground on all-solid-state EV battery plant

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    #1 Gokhan, Feb 4, 2026 at 12:59 AM
  2. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    AI translated the figure before @Salamander_King got a chance.

    So, I expect the pilot plant capacity to be on the order of 1 GWh/yr. That is around 15,000 BEVs a year. This means we will see limited production of all-solid-state EV models in 2027–2028. Some of these will be HEVs and PHEVs.

    We should expect mainstream production, such as 100 GWh/yr, to enable around 1 million BEVs a year in the early 2030s.

    Note that Toyota’s all-solid-state battery technology uses a lithium-sulfide solid-state electrolyte (also including some other elements). Competitors of this technology include Samsung and Solid Power.

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    #2 Gokhan, Feb 4, 2026 at 1:54 AM
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  3. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    #3 Salamander_King, Feb 4, 2026 at 2:11 AM
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  4. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    It may help to explain the "dendrite" problem that makes solid state batteries so hard:
    upload_2026-2-4_1-12-24.png

    During charging, layers of lithium (or other metals) are deposited into microscopic sized, crystal needles. These grow to penetrate the separator and short the cell. An NiMH battery uses hydrogen ions which can not form a crystal at ordinary temperatures. A point electric field becomes preferential for ion deposits. So this suggests several approaches:
    • non-cyrstalizing metals - hydrogen or liquid metals at higher temperatures.
    • strong separators - in theory, a separator can pass ions but not permit a needle pointed dendrite to pass through
    • alloy electro-positive metals - if the deposit voltage is close enough, two metals will disrupt dendrite formation but there may be issues getting intro carbon holding them without excessive mechanical stress and strain
    Solid state batteries are a technical nightmare and I wish anyone working on them “Good Luck!”
    Bob Wilson
     
    #4 bwilson4web, Feb 4, 2026 at 9:17 AM
  5. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Solid state batteries will be like Li-ion when the Volt and Leaf first arrived, expensive. They'll be coming to market against much cheaper LFP and even Na-ion. They will only be used in high end, long range BEVs, and then there will be established semi-solid state batteries on the market.

    Toyota is putting them in hybrids because of lower per car cost and ease of replacing with failures. They talked of using it hybrids first because the battery layers could crack.
    Aside, @bisco reported this Bolt was always going to be a short production run. This one still doesn't use GM's BEV platform.

    The moving of ICE models into that US plant is likely the actual news.
     
    #5 Trollbait, Feb 4, 2026 at 9:58 AM
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