Toyota's newest breakthrough could be the 'kiss of death' for gas-powered cars — and could hit the market as early as 2027
By: Mary Swansburg (The Cool Down)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The breakthrough occurred on two fronts.
by Mary SwansburgJuly 10, 2023
Toyota has announced exciting advancements in batteries for electric vehicles (EVs), which are pointing to longer battery life by as early as 2026. The breakthrough occurred on two fronts: increased optimization of lithium-ion batteries and advancements in solid-state batteries for EVs.
Findings for lithium-ion batteries will result in increased battery life and shorter charging time, common concerns among prospective EV buyers. Current EVs allow for approximately 330 miles on one charge, while the updated battery could handle up to 621 miles.
Solid-state batteries would take that even further, allowing for approximately 745 miles on one charge. Created for items like pacemakers and smartwatches, they are similar in structure to lithium-ion batteries but historically have not been durable enough to support EVs.
Toyota's new breakthrough could put EVs with solid-state batteries on the market by 2027, and they have mentioned zeroing in on a more affordable manufacturing process — leaning more on automated processing than human labor on an assembly line.
Best of all, EVs provide a long list of user benefits.
Currently, it costs about half as much to power an electric car than it does a gasoline-powered vehicle. Public charging costs are expensed by the minute — meaning that with the breakthroughs in battery life, owning an EV will become even more affordable.
On top of that, there are federal and local monetary incentives depending on where you live, and EVs require less maintenance overall.
EVs also leave a much smaller impact on the environment. Just one electric car on the road can save 1.6 tons of pollution annually, while gas-powered vehicles produce, on average, over 10,000 pounds of harmful gases per year.
In a recent Reuters article, solid-state batteries were called "the kiss of death" for gasoline-powered cars — speaking to just how convenient and wallet-friendly this new batch of EVs may be.
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If these milage claims are close to accurate they really are a game changer.
Let's hope.
Even if they don't go any farther than the current batteries, the 10 minute charge time would change everything.
The 10 minute charge time is also a huge advantage and combine that with the milage claims it really would change the auto world.
The weight and cost factors are a huge improvement as well.
Mass EV adoption is coming. It's inevitable, and it will make all of our lives better.
It's fascinating to listen to people who oppose it and think... "this must be what it was like in 1905 talking to people who thought horses were better transportation than cars."
I dunno.
Combine the EV with a self driver, and we have a massive, life-altering, societal change in the making. Imagine 90-year-olds who don't need their kids to take them to the doctor, or who don't have to be home by 6pm because they can't drive at night.
You've probably seen this picture somewhere, with somebody making fun of how electric cars aren't efficient.
But the thing is, charging this car on that diesel generator is WAAAAY more efficient than driving the gas powered equivalent.
The math on this is so obvious.
What worries me is longevity. How long these battery packs can last. Our system relies on most people buying second hand vehicles. Having say a ten year life span limits a lot.
Fair point. And it's one of a number of things we'll need to solve along the way. There also will incentive for automakers not to produce cars with swappable batteries, the same way cell phone makers stopped making phones with swappable batteries.
Weird thought, now cars will be at least a set value depending on battery price.
While gas vehicles can depreciate in price, say drop down to three grand, will an EV always be worth a certain amount only because of having to have a battery pack. Like it would cost ten grand for a battery pack so cars will always be at least ten grand....
I would imagine that when the first cars (gas powered) came about many of the same complaints took place.
Continued advancements and the infastructure (charging stations) become more plentiful the EV will surpass the IC quickly.
That at this point is a problem, but as advancements continue I believe that they will become a concern of the past.
I may be over thinking yet then I worry about all those batteries. As far as excess and where and how to dispose of unusable batteries, which I imagine there will be a lot of.
I wish they would have come up with something else.
There is a company in CA I believe that is already recycling EV batteries.
Here is a link to exactly this subject, Ender.
Lithium batteries are recyclable.
It's expensive (right now), but that's just another opportunity for the right tech mogul.
I have no idea about these solid state jobs
Testing in 2021 suggests these solid state batteries will last 10 to 15 years through 10,000 recharges. They are way more efficient than the current electrolyte batteries and far cheaper to produce than the lithium batteries in EVs today.
The technology is similar to a simple diode. The trick was figuring out how to adapt it to auto usage. An electronic diode loses charge quickly and that would be bad for a car battery. I'm not sure how they fixed that issue, but I'm glad to hear they have. A 20 to 30 minute charge time was a deal breaker for me.
AC/DC...Haha
My opinion is it always depends on the second hand market. A lot of this is to be seen.
One thing that holds true, when the market is there, technological advancements will continue.
Great news. Reducing IC emissions is a major step towards mitigating AGW. And when we have a (partial) solution that people will voluntarily seek, we have a workable method.
Without a doubt.
one of my favorite positive features of capitalism.
This is a good article on how the military is moving to EV and hybrids. The advantages are huge for our military.
But, will the price of these cars, new or used, ever become affordable for the average person?
Yes
besides a golf cart, I've never driven an electric vehicle. I did have a tesla pass me like I was standing still on the interstate a few years back. it took me a few miles to catch it and when I did, he just drove away from me again.
I have been in hybrid, not total.
I've been in a Prius hybrid. I don't like the body design, but it's a nice vehicle for those who like smaller cars.
I've got a friend that has an old prius with a hatchback. he calls it his truck because of all the crap he can throw in the back.
I'll be waiting for a 4x4 Toyota regular cab pickup EV.
My last two four-cylinder Toy trucks have been very efficient and very long-lasting.
those older toyota 22R engines were legendary for high mileage.
Well, if this is the 'kiss of death' for gas cars then it's still going to be a very slow death. There's not enough manufacturing capacity to replace gas cars that quickly. The estimate is about 290 million cars in the US. Current sales of cars is about 3 million per year which means it would require 100 years to replace gas cars. Even if it was possible to achieve and sustain the peak of 10 million car sales of the 1970s, it still requires 30 years to replace gas cars.
Replacing gas cars in a decade would require selling 30 million cars a year. And at an average price of $50k it would require spending $1.5 trillion each year for 10 years. That might make neoliberal skimmers, scammers, and flimflammers drool but its just not realistic.
There isn't any EV technology that will be the 'kiss of death' for gas cars. Blue sky promises and sci-fi fiction won't be a substitute for factories. And shark tank investors won't pay the wages required to replace gas cars let alone build the factories. Replacing gas cars in any sort of realistic timeframe will require bringing back slavery.
Very slow. It will take decades to move from our existing infrastructure. The move to EV from IC is a strategic initiative that makes excellent sense, but it is massive in scope and depth. We start now and keep at it.
What would help are promotions, and/or incentives on type 2 home chargers with every purchase of a EV.
And maybe stop banning gas stoves and going after the handful of pizza shops using wood. Natural gas is fairly clean and the reserves are vast.
So this will get an "X" amount of automobiles and small urban delivery vehicles off the road here in the USA. What about the rest of the world. After all, this has to be a global effort.
The next step up is long haul semi-trucks. Having to stop frequently to charge batteries would be impractical in an industry where time is money. This also apply to farm equipment, heavy industrial equipment, and most heavy military equipment.
As far as rail goes, many urban areas are served by electrified trains, but the bulk of operations is for moving freight long distances by diesel-electric locomotives. Long haul lines across the country, especially in the mountains and deserts would impractical and too costly to electrify.
Research on electric powered small aircraft continues, but large commercial airplanes will continue to use Jet-A. As will as most military aircraft
Finally, most ships of any size will continue to run on diesel. This the present reality and unlikely to change much. Then there is the matter of lubricating all of the above...with oil.
I agree. This is a smart interim move (at least for the USA). Much smarter than coal or crude oil.
Yes the EV market is a worldwide market. My comment was not limited to the USA.
Cite your sources.
It looks like you are simply tossing out objections to dismiss renewable energy rather than seek ways to embrace it.
Why would you NOT want to move away from fossil fuels into renewable energy? The move to renewables is faced with challenges and it will take time. Given. Your comments appear to be stubbornly clinging to fossil fuel energy and rejecting any move to renewables.
Over time, I would expect ships to run on nuclear power (in particular, fusion when it becomes practical for that scale).
Until we find an alternative we will use fossil fuel oil-based lubricants. Of course. Obviously.
Roads are already in place so subtract a few decades.
Not true at all, Greg. Many of the shipping lines are working on reducing emissions. A P Moeller (Maersk Lines) always the leader in the industry and also the largest shipping company in the world is doing this currently.
It is the way of the future in ocean shipping. Additionally, the ports worldwide are making major changes to reduce their emissions as well.
Current production in the US is 9.17 million, what happened to the unsold 6.17 million?