Published on July 14th, 2023 | by Sounder Rajen

Toyota Says Its New Solid State Battery Will Have Almost 1,200KM Of Range

Toyota also says its solid state battery will also be able to charge in just 10 minutes

Electric vehicles (EVs) are much better now than what they were some 5 or so years ago so no one can deny that they are improving. However, we all know that most EVs today, especially the more affordable options, either have mediocre range or take too long to charge. Well, Japanese automaker, Toyota, is about to change that.

So Toyota has just announced the specifications of its new solid state battery that has 1,200km of range and charges in just 10 minutes. If this can indeed be done, then this would revolutionise the entire EV battery industry and make EVs with longer range and are convenient to charge while still being affordable for more people to own.

A representative from Toyota also stated, “The next-generation battery EVs will adopt new batteries, through which we are determined to become a world leader in battery EV energy consumption. With the resources we earn, we will improve our product appeal to exceed customer expectations and secure earnings.”

“We will roll out next-generation BEVs globally and as a full line-up to be launched in 2026. By 2030, 1.7 million units out of 3.5 million overall will be provided by [the] BEV Factory. Please look forward to a carmaker-produced battery EV that inspires the hearts of all customers.” The representative added.

Moreover, Keiji Kaita, president of the Toyota Research and Development Centre for Carbon Neutrality, also said“For both our liquid and our solid-state batteries, we are aiming to drastically change the situation where current batteries are too big, heavy and expensive. In terms of potential, we will aim to halve all of these factors.”

While Toyota has famously chosen to invest more in hybrids rather than EVs, the brand has announced it will be jointly developing a new battery EV with fellow Japanese automaker, Subaru that should be launched in Europe around December 2023. Will this be the start of Toyota abandoning hybrids for EVs? I doubt it but let’s see.

On top of that, regarding Toyota’s future with hydrogen vehicles, Mitsumasa Yamagata, Toyota hydrogen factory president, who was appointed on 1 July, mentioned, “The hydrogen markets in Europe, China, and North America will be by far the largest in 2030, and the fuel cell market is expected to expand rapidly toward that point, reaching the level of 5 trillion per year.”

So what do you guys think about this? Is Toyota making the right choice going electric and will this benefit EV buyers or should the brand stick to hybrids and hydrogen power instead?