Nissan Motor said it planned to begin mass production of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) powered by all solid state batteries (ASSBs) by the end of the 2029 fiscal year, as part of its recently announced Nissan Ambition 2030 long-term plan, to regain ground lost to rival BEV makers such as BYD and Tesla.
The automaker made the announcement as it unveiled an unfinished ASSB pilot plant in Yokohama scheduled to begin operations by March 2025.
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Nissan said the pilot plant would help it develop new manufacturing technology for ASSBs which use solid metals instead of the corrosive liquids found in current lithium ion batteries. The automaker said it had developed unique materials for ASSB batteries lithium in a metal form.
Nissan expected ASSBs to be “game changers” in the global adoption of BEVs, noting they can have twice the energy density of conventional lithium ion cells, significantly shorter charging times and lower cost due to their use of less expensive materials.
At its research centre in Kanagawa prefecture earlier this month, the automaker also unveiled a prototype production facility for laminated ASSB cells which were scheduled to go into mass production in 2028.
The automaker said it planned to use ASSB battery packs in a wide range of vehicle segments from passenger vehicles to light commercial vehicles including pickup trucks, which would help further reduce costs.
Executive vice president Hideyuki Sakamoto said: “Once electric vehicles get going, costs will come down compared to the internal combustion engine. They will also be very convenient, for one, you won’t ever have to go to a [petrol] station.”
Nissan said it was currently conducting wide ranging research and development, from molecular level battery materials research to BEV development, and even city development using EVs as storage batteries.
Sakamoto added: “[Our] engineers… are all working hard to create this new world.”
Chinese, South Korean and other global automakers, including Volkswagen and Toyota, were expected to launch mass production of ASSB powered BEVs by 2026-2028.
