Automotive Engineering - December 2023 - 30

Can solidstate
batteries
commercialize
by 2030?
Solid-state batteries are facing a reckoning as
OEMs attempt to commercialize the technology.
by Jim Motavalli
T
he 1915 Detroit Electric Brougham was powered
by lead-acid batteries, and so was the
first generation of the General Motors EV1
back in 1996. The 1915 car could reportedly
travel 80 miles (129 km) on a single charge, and the
EV1 wasn't much better, with a range of 70 to 100
miles (113 to 161 km).
However, today's lithium-ion batteries are routinely
able to provide ranges of 300 miles (483 km) and outliers
like the Lucid Air Grand Touring offer more than
500 miles (805 km) of range. But traditional li-ion
chemistry also has its limitations, and researchers now
have the funding, including from the Biden
Administration, to deliver something better.
Automakers are increasingly focusing on the longdelayed
promise of solid-state batteries. With no liquid
electrolyte, these batteries can be lighter, safer
(with reduced fire risk), faster to recharge, and more
energy dense while still being able to deliver ranges
of 600 miles (965 km) or more.
Toyota, Nissan and Honda, and some U.S.-based
startups like Solid Power and QuantumScape are
working to commercialize solid-state batteries in the
near term. The big challenge is moving electrons
through a solid (often a ceramic), and there remain
hurdles related to cost, materials availability (the batteries
tend to be big lithium users), stability and stubbornly
high surface resistance that scientists call the
" electric double layer " (EDL) effect.
But researchers are getting closer to a viable solidstate
battery. Toyota, working with Japanese petroleum
refiner partner Idemitsu Kosan, says it will start to produce
commercial-grade cells some time in 2027 or
2028. Koji Sato, president and CEO of the Toyota Motor
Corporation, said this will lay the foundation for mass
production. Toyota claims these batteries will have
more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of range (based
on the CLTC, China Light Duty Vehicle Test Cycle standard)
and can fast charge in around 10 minutes.
30 December 2023
Toyota: hedging bets
Hedging its bets, Toyota is also working on so-called high-performance
lithium batteries with a high-nickel cathode and a bipolar structure for
that same time frame. These packs are also projected to yield 621 miles
of range and a fast-recharging time of less than 20 minutes. Toyota's
sole U.S. EV, the bZ4X, offers just 252 miles (406 km) of range.
Toyota is also working on a second generation of advanced solidstate
batteries that is targeted to provide ranges of more than 1,200
kilometers (745 miles) with a to-be-determined delivery date. Toyota's
Sato said in a statement that " the biggest challenge [for solid-state
batteries] is durability. A longstanding technical issue has been that
repeatedly charging and discharging the battery causes cracks between
the cathodes and anodes and the solid electrolytes, degrading
battery performance. " Toyota has been working on this issue with
Idemitsu Kosan since 2013 and announced in October 2023 that the
two companies have agreed to work together to develop mass-production
technologies for solid-state batteries, including a flexible solid
electrolyte that resists cracking while delivering high performance.
Toyota told SAE Media that achieving its stated solid-state range
" will require the charging of high-capacity batteries, which we believe
will necessitate ultra-high-output rapid chargers even more
powerful than the current fast-charging standard of 150 kilowatts. "
The company said there are no cost estimates for producing either
future generation of solid-state batteries and the automaker is not
betting the farm on them, either. " The current thinking is that there
are different chemistries that achieve different goals, " Toyota said. " It
is better for us to have multiple options, even within the segment of
battery electric vehicles. "
Nissan reportedly plans soild-state battery commercialization by
2028, and Honda has informally floated 2028 or 2029 for its units.
However, getting the batteries from a manufacturing-feasible cell to actual
incorporation in a production car's battery pack is a significant step.
Rory McNulty, senior analyst for Benchmark Mineral Intelligence,
believes the first drivable solid-state cars from western OEMs will
appear between 2028 and 2030 at the earliest. " It is important to
understand the formal automotive qualification procedure, which
takes between four to six years depending on the pace of progress, "
he told SAE Media. " No solid-state battery innovator outside of China
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
QuantumScape's flexible
ceramic solid-state separator.
QUANTUMSCAPE
Automotive Engineering - December 2023

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