• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • Ford Recalling 39K Full-Size SUVs Due to Potential Fire Issue
  • Mercedes-Benz Abandons Its Entry-Level Ambitions
  • Push is on to Make Stealing a Catalytic Converter a Federal Crime
  • Toyota Marks 25th Anniversary of Sienna Minivan
  • Honda Offers Early Look at Prologue EV
  • Argo AI Shifts to Driverless Operations in Two Markets
  • Hyundai, Kia, Honda, Jeep and Nissan Fare Badly in Latest Crash Tests
  • Finally! Lexus RX to Get a Complete Makeover
  • Inflation Affecting Summer Vacation Plans
  • 2023 BMW 3 Series Gets Updated Exterior, More Tech, Mild Hybrid Drivetrain
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2022 Kia Forte GT
    • First Drive: 2023 Genesis GV60
    • First Drive: 2022 Mercedes-Benz C 300
    • First Impression: 2023 Nissan Z
    • A Week With: 2022 Lexus LC 500 Convertible
    • A Week With: 2022 Ram 2500 Power Wagon Crew Cab
    • First Drive: 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning
    • First Drive(s): 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate and AT4X
    • A Week With: 2022 BMW i4 M50
    • A Week With: 2022 Mazda CX-5
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automobiles > Toyota Long-Range EV Could Bring Battery Breakthrough to Market

        Toyota Long-Range EV Could Bring Battery Breakthrough to Market

        New solid-state batteries could increase range, radically reduce charging times.

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        July 25, 2017
        The batteries powering the Prius has been the closest Toyota's been to a pure EV since it retired the RAV4 a few years back.

        Long skeptical about lithium-ion technology, Toyota has confirmed it is working on long-range electric vehicles but a new report says the maker could be working on a breakthrough technology that resolves many of the problems associated with today’s batteries.

        According to the Chunichi Shimbun daily, Toyota wants to bring to market in 2022 an electric vehicle that would shift to so-called solid-state batteries. That approach has been a Holy Grail for battery researchers because the technology is theoretically capable of both increasing range and reducing charging times, making electric vehicles as easy to use as today’s gasoline-power products.

        Insight!

        Whether Toyota can commercialize solid-state technology by early in the next decade is far from certain, but it isn’t the only manufacturer working on the concept. Henrik Fisker, founder and CEO of Fisker Automotive, told TheDetroitBureau.com on Monday that his company is also working on solid-state batteries, but cautioned, they are “at least five years out,” or roughly in line with the reported target date for Toyota.

        The Japanese giant declined to comment on the news report, but senior officials have told TheDetroitBureau.com on several occasions they are actively looking for new battery alternatives, including solid-state technology.

        (Toyota invests $100m in new venture to develop disruptive technologies. For the story, Click Here.)

        Until recently, Toyota’s skepticism led it to focus on hydrogen fuel-cells as a path to future clean mobility. But the high cost of that technology – along with the lack of a widespread hydrogen infrastructure has raised serious concerns about whether fuel-cell vehicles will ever make it into the mainstream.

        Toyota's Mirai fuel-cell vehicle isn't going to be the maker's long-term alternative fuel answer.

        As a result, Toyota now says it will also pursue battery-based technologies, starting with a Chinese-made variant of the C-HR crossover due to market in 2019.

        But the carmaker appears to be viewing trouble-prone lithium-ion chemistry as a short-term fill-in as it races to catch up with competitors like Nissan, General Motors, Volkswagen and Tesla. Longer-term, it appears to see alternatives such as solid-state batteries as the real solution.

        Lithium-ion batteries rely on a liquid electrolyte to produce power. But the chemistry can be prone to short-circuiting and even catching fire, as was demonstrated by the recent recall of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone.

        (Click Here to see more about about Toyota ruling out diesel-powered hybrids.)

        “Replacing the organic liquid electrolyte with a nonflammable and more reliable inorganic solid electrolyte (SE) simplifies battery design while improving safety and durability,” said a report by Green Car Congress.

        It also noted other key advantages, such as packaging, vehicle range and rapid charge cycles. Using 220-volt chargers it can take hours to top off a lithium-powered vehicle, and even 440-volt DC Level 3 charging systems can take up to 30 minutes or more to give an 80% “fill-up” to a vehicle with a range of 200 to 300 miles.

        Proponents of solid-state technologies contend that could drop to less than five minutes, or about the same time it takes to fill up a gas tanks.

        There are a number of challenges, however, including manufacturability, that have been barriers to production so far.

        (Toyota tops automaker patent list. For the story, Click Here.)

        With virtually every major automaker working on electrified vehicles, a major breakthrough in battery technology could provide a significant market advantage. So, Toyota is by no means the only one looking at solid-state technology. Others include BMW and Volkswagen, the latter buying a stake in QuantumScape, a start-up spun off in 2010 from research work at Stanford University. The Korea Herald reported earlier this year that Hyundai “is developing solid-state batteries,” and has reached a level where it may also soon lay out production plans.

        Recently Published
        2021 Ford Expedition STX front

        Ford Recalling 39K Full-Size SUVs Due to Potential Fire Issue

        Yesterday
        Mercedes Drive Pilot steering wheel controls

        Mercedes-Benz Abandons Its Entry-Level Ambitions

        Yesterday
        Catalytic converter theft

        Push is on to Make Stealing a Catalytic Converter a Federal Crime

        Yesterday

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2022
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: