Toyota Reveals Plans For a 900-Mile Solid-State EV Battery

Toyota revealed Tuesday that it’s working on all-new electric vehicle batteries designed to carry drivers 900 miles or more on a single charge. The automaker also plans to improve existing lithium-ion battery technology to facilitate quicker charging and longer ranges. Both plans indicate a larger pivot toward EV infrastructure, which Toyota has historically neglected.

Toyota presented its technology roadmap a day before its annual shareholder meeting to stave off concern about its EV lag. Currently, Toyota has only one all-electric vehicle on the market: the bZ4X. Not only did Toyota have to issue a recall after wheels started falling off the bZ4X, but the crossover requires three hours of charging for a nine-hour drive, making for a vehicle few drivers are willing to splurge on. The EV has done so poorly that Toyota only expects to sell 10,000 units this year, disappointing shareholders who’d prefer to see the automaker wade confidently into the electric sector.

Toyota's bZ4X might look nice, but it certainly hasn't sold well. Credit: Toyota

This week’s technology roadmap may be an attempt to save face, but it’s notable nonetheless. According to Reuters, Toyota has made a “technological breakthrough” that makes solid-state batteries more durable. Solid-state batteries have a larger energy capacity than conventional liquid electrolyte batteries (i.e., lithium-ion) and aren’t as temperature-sensitive. They also charge faster, making them an ideal solution to drivers’ range woes—if their cost and long-term integrity can be improved. Toyota claims its breakthrough will pave the way for a solid-state battery with a 900-mile range. This is likely a longer-term project, with the brand aiming to sell vehicles equipped with solid-state batteries by 2028.

In the meantime, Toyota plans on bolstering its EV strategy with upgraded lithium-ion batteries. By 2026, it hopes to show off an energy-dense battery capable of delivering a 1,000-kilometer (621-mile) single-charge range, a 20-minute charge time, and a cost reduction of up to 20%. (For comparison’s sake, Tesla’s best-selling Model Y maxes out at 279 miles and takes 15 minutes to charge 200 miles at a Tesla Supercharger.) This would be exclusive to vehicles on “the high end of the market,” according to Reuters. A series of lower-cost lithium-iron phosphate batteries could fill the lower-end gap with a 20% range increase and a 40% cost reduction. 

Toyota’s battery ambitions are coupled with efforts to make EVs more aerodynamic and easier to manufacture. Through a partnership with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Toyota is working to mitigate its electric vehicles’ drag coefficients, which play a role in fuel (or, in this case, battery) efficiency. It’s also taking advantage of Tesla’s Giga casting process to streamline production by reducing welded assemblies.