Toyota, Idemitsu tieup to mass-produce all-solid-state batteries...

Toyota, Idemitsu tieup to mass-produce all-solid-state batteries​

By Yuka Obayashi​

October12, 20237:48 PM GMT+11Updated 15 hours ago​

TOKYO,Oct 12 (Reuters) - Toyota (7203.T) and oil refiner Idemitsu Kosan (5019.T) announced a tie up on Thursday to develop and mass produce all-solid-state batteries, in another example of new partnerships being forged amid the disruptive shift to electric vehicles.​

The companies aim tocommercialise next-generation batteries in 2027-28, followed by full-scale massproduction. Toyota has said it planned to introduce the batteries, which woulddrastically improve the driving range of EVs, as part of a strategic pivot toEVs announcedin June​

Toyota is now lookingto make up for ground lost to Tesla and Chinese rivals such as BYD in the EVrace. It has said it found a "technological breakthrough" thataddresses durability problems in solid-state batteries and said it isdeveloping means to mass produce them.​

Idemitsu Kosan,Japan's second-largest oil refiner, has been developing solid sulfide electrolyte,a material used in the batteries.​

By bringing togetherthe material development technologies of both companies, Idemitsu's materialmanufacturing technology, and Toyota's battery mass production technology, wewill engage in full-scale mass production of all-solid-state batteries," ToyotaCEO Koji Sato told a news conference.​

Solid-state batteriescan hold more energy than current liquid electrolyte batteries and automakersand analysts expect them to speed transition to EVs.​

An EV powered by asolid-state battery would have a range of 1,200 km (746 miles) and chargingtime of just 10 minutes, according to Toyota.​

Still, such batteriesare expensive and likely to remain so for years.​

Idemitsu has beenexpanding into EV battery supply chains, increasing its stake in Australianlithium developer DeltaLithium (DLI.AX) to 15% earlier this year amid a global push by automakers to electrify their fleets.​

https://www.reuters.com/business/au...produce-all-solid-state-batteries-2023-10-12/​