Honda has opened a demonstration facility in Japan to showcase its plans to mass-produce solid-state batteries at a lower cost, which could be crucial to the path to longer-lasting electric vehicles with a greater range in the future, reports The Verge, according to UNN.
Details
Solid-state batteries have been "elusive" for many companies due to the difficulty of scaling up production. The technology replaces the liquid electrolytes used in today's lithium-ion batteries with dry conductive materials that promise higher energy density and longer life. But it will require a completely new production process to be successful.
Several companies are actively pursuing solid-state batteries, including QuantumScape, which is backed by Volkswagen, Nissan, and Factorial, which is testing semi-solid-state batteries that fit in the Dodge Charger.
Honda says it is accelerating research at its new 27 ,000-square-meter demonstration facility set up in Sakura, Japan, and reducing the time it takes to produce a single unit. The facility has full-scale equipment that is divided among three buildings: the first for cathode formation and cell assembly; the second for anode formation; and the third for electrolyte activation and module assembly.
The plan calls for the use of an inline continuous mixer, which Honda says is "three times faster" than conventional batch processing. Honda plans to produce batteries on this line in January.
Honda is preparing its solid-state technology for mass production in the second half of the 2020s. The company's CEO Toshihiro Mibe has evaded the fact that solid-state batteries will also be the key to producing cheaper electric vehicles.
Addendum
Meanwhile, Honda is building on its other efforts to stay on top of the electric vehicle game. The Honda Prologue SUV, built on GM's electric vehicle platform, has been a big success in the US, and the company is preparing a larger SUV for 2025. At CES, it will also unveil a production car that will use the new Honda Zero platform powered by LG batteries (Honda and LG are jointly building a battery plant in Ohio).