Even though Toyota is working with Mazda and Denso on electric vehicles, the automaker will keep its battery development in-house.
The partnership between the three companies was announced in late September, with the joint venture being named EV Common Architecture Spirit. The plan is to develop a toolbox of components that the automakers can use when it comes to developing their own electric vehicles, including a new architecture for EVs. Toyota however, will keep its research on solid-state batteries in house, according to the company’s chief safety technology officer, Kiyotaka Ise.
SEE ALSO: Toyota, Mazda, and Denso Partner to Develop Electric Vehicles
Although Ise wouldn’t share when the solid-state batteries will debut on a production car, he did say the new architecture is being designed to use both current-generation lithium-ion batteries and next-generation solid-state units. Expect to see electric vehicles from Toyota using the new batteries in the next decade.
According to executive vice president Didier Leroy, Toyota is the leader in solid-state battery technology when it comes to intellectual property, and he says the new batteries are “a game-changer” that could dramatically improve range. Over 200 engineers are working on the next-generation batteries, which can operate at a higher temperature than current lithium-ion units. They however, do not require cooling and are much smaller.
“With solid-state, we hope to increase battery density by around 50 percent compared with a same-sized lithium-ion cell,” said Ise.
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