Toyota details next-generation battery tech rollout for electric cars, including solid-state cells from 2027
Toyota has confirmed its long-awaited solid-state battery technology will be introduced from 2027 that will see the large Toyota Crown EV and other electric vehicles cover up to 1500km on a single charge.
Revealing its latest EV battery plans during a ‘Let’s Change the Future of Cars’ presentation, Toyota says that before solid-state tech arrives it will launch its new bipolar lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) tech in 2026, which will be used to power its mass-market EV offerings.
Claimed to deliver a 20 per cent increase in cruising range, the LFP cells are 40 per cent cheaper to produce and are claimed to enable a 10-80 per cent recharge in less than 30 minutes.
There will also be a Performance version of the LFP battery, offering a cruising range of up to 1000km in vehicles that will feature advanced aerodynamics and considerable weight reductions over current EVs.
Toyota claims the Performance battery will also be up to 20 per cent cheaper to build compared to existing tech, while a 10-80 per cent top-up will take less than 20 minutes.
What’s more, a High Performance LFP battery will also arrive in 2027/28 and provide an extra 10 per cent increase in range along with a further 10 per cent reduction in cost.
But the holy grail is the much-delayed solid-state battery cells that will finally be green-lit for production in 2027 or 2028.
The SSB cells add a further 20 per cent of range above the Performance battery (1200km), while a 10-80 per cent top-up is said to take less than 10 minutes.
Once launched, Toyota will introduce a higher-spec SSB that will offer 50 per cent more range compared to the Performance LFP battery (1500km).
In conjunction with its EV battery strategy, the Japanese car-maker says it will begin rolling out its aerodynamic drag reduction technology that is claimed to draw inspiration from rocket hypersonic aerodynamics with an aim to slash drag coefficient to as little as 0.1Cd.
Learning from Tesla’s production efficiencies, Toyota says it will introduce giga casting and a “self-propelling assembly line”.
Smaller e-axles that incorporate both the electric motor and transmission, plus electronics, into a smaller casing will also be introduced to improve cargo space, reduce weight and help packaging needed for underfloor aero.
As part of the presentation, engineers showed off a Crown EV prototype that’s claimed to be equipped with much of the innovative tech, including the solid-state batteries that can provide up to 1500km of range.
Toyota Crown EV prototype
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Keyword: Next Toyota Crown EV to have 1500km range