Lithium-ion batteries, LFP batteries and solid-state batteries are on their way
Would you like an electric Toyota, but do you still find the more than 500 kilometers that the bZ4X comes far at best still on the tight side? Then wait a little longer until 2026. Then Toyota will introduce a new electric model with a range of – hold on – 1,000 kilometers. Yes, a thousand.
Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Toyota Hiroki Nakajima has shed some light on what Toyota is doing in the EV field. That turns out to be a lot. Toyota recently created a new division – BEV Factory – dedicated to the development of future electric cars and EV technology. Among other things, Toyota will introduce a ‘new generation’ electric model in 2026 with a range of 1,000 kilometers. But there’s more. Much more.
Toyota promises more’classy’ design for its EVs by using artificial intelligence to design its models as aerodynamically as possible. Toyota also speaks again of the arrival of ‘manual EVs’ and says that it has several such ‘nice surprises’ in store. Like Tesla, Toyota chooses to produce its electric cars first huge casting, a production technique with which production costs can be saved by integrating various parts with each other.
Next generation electric cars
Toyota indicates that it will start rolling out a completely new generation of electric cars in 2026. By 2030, 1.7 million of Toyota’s 3.5 million electric cars should be units of this new range of EVs. As mentioned, Toyota is already talking about the arrival of electric cars that can travel up to 1,000 kilometers on a full battery. Such cars get according to Toyota ‘performance’ lithium-ion batteries with a higher energy density, but the large range must also be achieved through weight reduction and aerodynamics. Despite the technical improvements over EVs like the bZ4X, this new range of batteries should be up to 20 percent cheaper than the bZ4X. In 20 minutes ‘or less’, the battery packs of these electric models should be pumped from 10 to 80 percent of their capacity with new power.
Toyota does not put all its money on one horse and says it is also working on the development of a series of ‘cheap batteries’. These are LFP batteries such as the brand is already using in hybrid models such as the Aqua and the Crown. Toyota aims to make these LFP batteries 20 percent more efficient and 40 percent cheaper than the batteries in the bZ4X. These LFP batteries must be able to be charged from 10 to 80 percent full in 30 minutes or less. Further development of these batteries adds another 10 percent efficiency and 10 percent cost reduction. These batteries should be able to be charged from 10 to 80 percent in 20 minutes or less.
Solid state: up to 1,200 kilometers range
And what about solid state batteries? Toyota also has that in the barrel. The brand says it has a breakthrough in this battery technology and indicates that it is currently investigating how it can be applied in hybrid models. In doing so, it is focusing on the use of this type of battery in EVs. Toyota hopes to mass-produce its solid-state batteries around 2027-2028. EVs with solid-state batteries must go another 20 percent further than the announced EVs with a 1,000-kilometer range. Yes, Toyota is aiming for the arrival of electric cars with solid-state batteries that can travel up to 1,200 kilometers. A pack should be able to charge from 10 to 80 percent in 10 minutes or less.
Hydrogen
Of course, Toyota also pays a lot of attention to hydrogen again. The BEV Factory division will have a hydrogen equivalent that it calls – you guessed it – the Hydrogen Factory. This department should be built in July. Toyota wants to work more closely with other car manufacturers in the field of hydrogen – it is currently already doing this with BMW, among others – and wants to set up R&D departments and production locations for hydrogen cars in regions such as Europe and China, among other things. Toyota promises to work on a new generation of hydrogen powertrains. Among other things, these must be 37 percent cheaper than the current ones. Toyota also indicates that it will continue to develop cars with a combustion engine that burns hydrogen and machines that use carbon-neutral e-fuels.
In terms of platforms, Toyota indicates that it is working on a new base that will not only be used by EVs from the bZ family, but also by ‘Fun to Drive EVs’ should be able to be used. In other words, sportier electric cars.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl