Toyota claims to have made advances in its solid-state battery technology that could halve the size, cost and weight of its EV batteries, the Financial Times reported.

The automaker is collaborating with Panasonic on the technology, through their joint battery venture.

“For both our liquid and solid state batteries, we are aiming to drastically change the situation where current batteries are too big, heavy and expensive,” said Keiji Kaita, president of Toyota’s research and development centre for carbon neutrality.

Solid-state batteries replace a liquid electrolyte with a solid one and use lithium metal at the anode instead of graphite.

The technology aims to solve challenges such as charging time, capacity and reduce fire risk.

However, the Financial Times said, “technology remains expensive and difficult to produce, forcing carmakers to push back its launch and focus their efforts on developing liquid-based lithium-ion batteries.”

Initially, Toyota said it aimed to have solid state battery hybrids on the market before 2025 but plans to commercialise the technology in all EVs are now planned for 2027 at the earliest. 

Toyota claimed its technology would allow a solid state battery EV to charge in 10 minutes and reach a range of 1,200km (750 miles).