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Wall Street Journal reports that Toyota nears technological breakthrough in electric-car batteries, working on a new type of battery that could hold a higher charge and uses a solid electrolyte instead of the commonly used semi-liquid version of today's lithium-ion batteries. Toyota hopes to put the new batteries in its electric cars as early as 2020 and nears a breakthrough.
The latest rumor is that Toyota will have long range solid state batteries by about 2020 that will completely change the market. We will have to see about that. But I think it certainly is possible.
Toyota was acting like it was staying out of battery and going all hydrogen and I remember thinking that seemed odd as you wouldn't see major electric cars coming out of Toyota or at least planned by Toyota at a level of Nissan Leaf or Tesla Model S or Model 3. Toyota developers were apparently playing chess with the other automakers, most notably Nissan and Tesla.
If this all becomes reality and they use standard plug this could really be a huge breakthrough from Toyota.
On the other hand, as I mentioned in the opening paragraph of this story there is an open question. If all goes well Toyota's new solid electrolyte batteries will be available in 2020, and what will all the other battery manufacturers have in 2020? The playing field doesn't stand still, and while Toyota is sitting on its tech, others have it out in the real world doing heaps of testing.
In any case, just like there are many car companies to choose from, EV will be no difference.
Also see: 2017 Toyota Mirai's Pricing Will Have Battery EV Fans Laughing Out Loud.
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Comments
Toyota may need a charging
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Toyota may need a charging network. Where is its charging network? It should probably make a deal with Tesla.
In the future will each
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In the future will each company need to have its own charging network? Currently each company doesn't need to have its own gas station right? So why in the future they need their own charging networks? I think the range and some type of auto-charging will be so advanced that charging need outside of home may be totally eliminated.
Tesla network could be cost
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Tesla network could be cost neutral or even profitable when they begin to monetize the network with other carmakers.
At first I was like, OK yet
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At first I was like, OK yet another one of those articles where they talk about the breakthrough in a few years. There are tons of them. But when Toyota is the company behind it, there is certainly substance behind it. Toyota is not some startup or just an experimental lab that is looking to get attention and funding. They are big and they know the EV is the future.
Where is Toyota's battery
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Where is Toyota's battery factory? If Toyota were going to install a new battery technology in 2020 models, it would be building the factory now. Where is that battery factory? They haven't started building it?
Toyota won't have a solid
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Toyota won't have a solid state electric car till 2022. Tesla is about to move its model s cars to 4416 batteries insuring greater densities with improved chemistry. They are going to leave Toyota way behind.
Well GM has the world's
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Well GM has the world's largest automotive battery research and testing laboratory and works with multiple battery cell manufacturing companies. GM owns all of its battery chemistries and is in a position that makes it more flexible than any other automotive OEM. GM technically isn't in bed with anyone but itself.
Good points. This article
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In reply to Well GM has the world's by Erik (not verified)
Good points. This article mentioning Tesla and Nissan, but not GM is very cautious given GM,s Bolt and long history with electric cars. GM certainly has a better record of technical innovation than Toyota.
In my comment above I meant
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In reply to Good points. This article by ERIC M VEST (not verified)
In my comment above I meant curious, not cautious. Auto-fill spelling sometimes does not work well.