For several decades, Japanese giant Toyota has proven its success in making the best vehicle units. Despite the tight competition brought by industrialization and globalization, the company has dominated the automobile industry through its production system approach. The auto manufacturing company recently expressed its plans to participate in the global electric vehicle competition.
A Breakthrough in EV Battery Technology
By the year 2027, the Japanese company Toyota Motor Corporation plans to achieve its goal of producing commercial solid-state batteries. The company claims that its battery can reduce the charging time of electric vehicles (EVs) to 10 minutes or less. As its battery EV lineup and technology development expand, Toyota aims to provide 1.5 million electric vehicles in 2026.
Part of Toyota's strategy to achieve this goal is innovating the vehicle's operating system. This evolution can enable the next-generation battery EV to customize the driving feel, focusing on important functions such as turning, acceleration, and stopping.
Owners of electric vehicles who use charging stations at home must keep their cars plugged in overnight to recharge the vehicle. This is one of the major reasons Toyota proposes hybrid vehicles as a better alternative. In a hybrid vehicle, the car recharges itself as it runs while having a gasoline engine as backup to the electric motor.
According to Toyota President Koji Sato, the company needs to catch up with the trend after falling behind other EV manufacturers. Toyota is also likely to face mounting criticisms regarding its commitments to fight climate change.
The company said that it is currently developing lithium-ion batteries, the type of battery commonly used in electric vehicles, and aims to provide more affordable alternatives. It clarifies that it stays committed to creating a "hydrogen society" by working on vehicle models that run using hydrogen, such as fuel cell cars.
Despite its effectiveness as a fuel source, hydrogen is expensive and is produced using fossil fuels. Since hydrogen can be extracted using renewable energy sources, Toyota has decided to collaborate with various partners to produce cleaner and cheaper hydrogen. Aside from this project, Toyota is also working on second-generation biofuels since they are more renewable than fossil fuels.
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What Makes Solid-State Battery a Better Option?
Most smartphones, electric vehicles, and power tools use lithium-ion batteries which use liquid electrolyte solutions to power the devices. Although widely used commercially, experts worry about its safety. Conventional lithium-ion batteries risk damage since temperature changes can cause them to swell. Since it relies on a liquid electrolyte solution, it can also get damaged from leakage brought by an external force.
On the other hand, another type of battery, known as a solid-state battery (SSB), uses a solid electrolyte instead of a liquid. SSBs demonstrate improved stability and increased safety features even when the solid electrolyte gets damaged.
Regarding electric vehicles, SSBs also prove to be a better option than lithium-ion batteries. SSBs do not have the risk of explosion or fire, so they do not require a vehicle to have additional components for safety. Because of this, the vehicle can save more space which can be used for other automobile components.
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