Toyota has revealed more details about its next-gen battery tech for electric vehicles, including three new liquid battery technologies and the start of mass production of solid-state batteries. The aim is to offer 1 200 km or more range, faster charging times, and a lower height for better aerodynamics.
In June, Toyota announced it would offer a production vehicle with a solid-state battery by 2027, with up to 1 200 km of range. The Japanese manufacturer is also developing several next-gen liquid lithium batteries to reduce cost and improve range compared to the bZ4X, Toyota’s only battery-electric passenger car.
Popularisation, Performance, and High Performance
Toyota plans to offer three types of lithium batteries starting in 2026. The first will be the ‘Performance’ battery, offering over 800 km of range, a 20% lower production cost compared to the bZ4X’s battery pack, and a 10-80% fast charging time of 20 minutes.
The second pillar is the ‘Popularisation’ type, which is based on a bipolar lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery, which reduces the battery cost by 40% compared to now while still offering 20% more range (over 600 km) and a fast charging time of 30 minutes. This battery is expected between 2026 and 2027, enabling Toyota to offer cheaper battery-electric models.
A year later, between 2027 and 2028, Toyota wanted a ‘High Performance’ battery with over 1 000 km of range, a 10% lower cost than the Performance battery, and a similar % fast charging time of 20%.
Solid state coming in 2027
At roughly the same time, Toyota wants to introduce the first solid-state battery-powered production car. The company has found a breakthrough to conserve the life span of this type of battery, enabling it to move toward mass production.
In this case, Toyota is less sure about the figures, but it estimates that the first solid-state battery will offer 20% more range compared to the High-Performance battery (around 1 200 km), with a charging time from 10 to 80% in just ten minutes. A later iteration would enable up to 1 500 km of range, but there is no estimated arrival time.
Low drag and weight also crucial to improving range
However, new battery chemistry is not the only thing that helps increase the range of an electric vehicle. Toyota also wants to build lower and, therefore, more streamlined cars, which forces it to make flatter battery packs to lower the car’s body.
Today, a bZ4X battery is 150 mm high. Toyota wants to lower that to 120 mm for regular models and 100 mm for sports cars, where a low center of gravity is more important. Reducing the car’s weight is crucial to making these range claims possible.
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