Nissan has released its latest battery technology – an automotive solid-state battery that is manufactured by its Yokohama facility. The company is hoping to launch its first electric vehicle with all-solid-state batteries by 2028.
Solid state batteries are currently the Holy Grail among lithium batteries in the electric vehicle industry. They can charge faster, their product lifespans are longer, they are safer, and their prices might even be cheaper. Currently, major automakers are giving an all-out effort to develop solid-state batteries.
Last week, Nissan showcased its new prototype that was made at the prototype production facility in Yokohama. It plans to make solid-state EV batteries, and is prepared to build a pilot production line by 2024 where the battery's prototype production materials, design, and manufacturing processes can be researched.
Nissan expects to debut its first EV with all-solid-state batteries in 2028. The automaker plans to gradually use these batteries on all of its vehicle models, including pickup trucks that are the most favored vehicle segment by the US.
According to Nissan's estimation, by 2028, the price of all-solid-state battery packs might be lowered to 75 USD per kWh, and eventually to 65 USD per kWh. This figure is nearly one-third of the current price.
This factor might position EVs at the price levels that are near gasoline vehicles, or even make EVs' prices cheaper than gasoline cars. The cost of shifting from buying gasoline cars to buying EVs could be significantly lowered. In order to achieve this goal, Nissan plans to invest 17.6 billion USD to electrify all of its vehicle models. Japanese carmakers usually electrify their cars at a slower pace, but Nissan is hoping that it can use its solid-state battery opportunity to make a swifter progress than its international rivals.
However, the market is like a race track, and overtaking competitors is easier said than done. Like Nissan, other automakers are diligently developing their own solid-state batteries. Volkswagen-invested QuantumScape aims to begin selling its own solid-state battery cars by 2024. Ford said that the solid-state batteries it is developing would be ready by 2030. Leading automaker Toyota expressed in 2021 that it hopes to begin making its own batteries near 2025. Unlike the other car makers, Toyota is more honest about the higher technical barriers of solid-state batteries. Toyota must give an all-out effort to yield fruit in the EV market.
(Photo credit: Nissan)