Honda considers developing all solid-state EV batteries

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The Japanese automaker Honda is considering developing all solid-state batteries for electric vehicles (EV) as it joins the frenzy of coming up with powerful, next-generation car batteries to reduce vehicle emissions.

As car manufacturers shift to EVs under stricter global emission regulations, many are searching for the holy grail of longer vehicle ranges with faster charge times, all with cheaper batteries.

Honda Motor Co is considering developing all solid-state batteries for electric vehicles. /Reuters Photo

Since solid-state batteries offer greater capacity and safety than its lithium-ion counterpart by replacing the liquid electrolyte with solid, conductive material, major names such as Honda and Nissan Motor Co. are getting into developing them, as reported by Kyodo News on Thursday.

“We’ve been researching all solid-state batteries,” Honda spokesman Teruhiko Tatebe said. “At the moment we’re not developing them with another automaker.”

Nissan was not immediately available for comment.

Meanwhile, automakers Toyota Motor Corp. and Volkswagen AG are also jumping in, with the former saying earlier this month that it was considering developing the next-gen batteries with Panasonic to share high R&D costs.

Toyota plans to develop next-gen batteries with Panasonic. /Reuters Photo

The automaker is planning to have a production-ready battery in the early 2020s, and has highlighted the need to accelerate the pace of battery development as it and others plan to ramp up the number of electric models they sell in the coming decades.

Source(s): Reuters