Toyota and its research partner Panasonic presently have the majority of the solid-state battery patents, according to Nikkei Asia on Thursday. It is uncertain which manufacturer will win the race to integrate solid-state batteries into a production vehicle.
In 10 nations and territories from 2000 until the end of March of this year, Nikkei examined patent applications for solid-state battery technology along with Tokyo-based research company Patent Consult.
Panasonic came in second with 445 patents, clearly trailing Toyota with 1,331 known patents. According to the report, Idemitsu Kosan, which came in third, has 272 patents.
It’s important to note that while patents are a useful tool to assess R&D activities, they don’t provide a reliable picture of how far along a company is in putting a particular invention into production. Because of the promises of higher energy density, numerous additional automakers and battery suppliers are also making investments in solid-state battery development.
According to Nikkei, Toyota started investigating solid-state batteries in the 1990s. In 2019, it collaborated with Panasonic to develop the technology together. Panasonic had just before claimed that solid-state cells wouldn’t be available until 2028 or later. Of course, Panasonic and Tesla have been business partners for a very long time.
Toyota has stated on a few occasions that the technology is in the works and will be available in a production model by the middle of the decade. It was disclosed earlier this year that the first application, rather than an EV, will be a hybrid.
Nissan, meanwhile, believes that solid-state batteries hold the key to making affordable EVs practical for a wider range of automobiles, such as pickup trucks and SUVs. It revealed a prototype production facility for solid-state battery cells earlier this year, with intentions to set up a pilot production line in Japan as early as 2024 and market availability in an electric vehicle (EV) by 2028.
Honda, BMW, Ford, and Volkswagen are among the automakers who have talked about utilizing solid-state batteries in their vehicles. However, the only useful application to date has been in a different kind of vehicle. In Germany, solid-state cells are already deployed in city buses, but they need very precise conditions, like as high temperatures, that are impractical for use in passenger cars.
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Solid-state batteries are being developed by who?
First, Solid Power, a Colorado-based business that creates solid-state EV batteries for clients including Ford and BMW, said that the installation of a “pilot manufacturing line that can produce around 300 battery cells per week” had been completed.
Who is the pioneer in the field of solid-state batteries?
Nissan catching up with Toyota as the leader Toyota has long been regarded as the industry pioneer in the study of solid-state batteries. The biggest automaker in Japan had previously aimed to release a solid-state battery in 2021. Although it was late for that deadline, it still seems likely to be the first automaker to introduce one.
How far away from solid-state batteries is Toyota?
Solid-state batteries are a big concern for Toyota. It used one to power a prototype vehicle last year, and it has made lots of solid-state investments totaling $13.6 billion. Toyota has accumulated roughly three times as many patents in the technology as any other manufacturer, according to a Nikkei analysis published on Thursday.
The study, carried out in collaboration with the Tokyo-based research firm Patent Results, revealed that Japanese firms file more solid-state patent applications than other businesses. Even one of its battery partners, Panasonic, is trailing Toyota in terms of performance.
According to the report, Toyota filed 1,331 patent applications pertaining to solid-state batteries. With only 445 patents, Panasonic behind third-placed Idemitsu Kosan, which has 272, in the race for patents.
Panasonic focuses more on cell design and battery construction than Idemitsu Kosan, an oil refining corporation with patents that are mostly focused on materials used in solid-state batteries. But Toyota’s collection is diverse.
Reading through the patents submitted to the World Intellectual Property Organization demonstrates that they cover more than just tertiary-level applications. Many patents cover particular solid-state battery or solid electrolyte designs. There are patents for coatings or components of the cell’s construction, such as metal films inserted directly into the solid electrolyte, as well as patents for charging and charge protection.
A very, really large number, however, is for simple battery designs in all sizes, ranging from relatively small device batteries to the amount that would power an electric vehicle (EV). It appears that Toyota is investing in technologies to ensure that whatever it wants to develop will have a solution available to it.
It is by no means the only automaker making solid-state battery investments. The industry is eager to discover a means to mass-produce solid-state batteries at a scale suitable for cars, and BMW and Hyundai have turned to American companies for their own solid-state technologies. The benefits are considerable: faster charging times, increased stability, and safetyall qualities you want in an electric vehicle.
But when it comes to patents, Japan is the only topic of discussion. The only non-Japanese business among those registering solid-state technology designs in the top five is Samsung, which is ranked fourth.
whose solid-state battery technology is the best?
Recently, Toyota made news when it revealed that its first EV would be made available across the country. As of 2018, it also possessed the vast majority of solid-state battery patents of any business. In actuality, it holds more solid-state patents than Samsung, the next-largest holder, by a factor of more than five. Toyota therefore has high hopes for solid-state batteries. Indeed, it’s possible that Toyota’s solid-state batteries might move from empty to full in as little as 10 minutes.
Toyota is, of course, another solid-state battery stock company with a broader business plan than just batteries. Its market valuation is therefore little around $220 billion. Investors can also receive a dividend from the stock, which has a P/E ratio close to 11. Since the start of the pandemic, its share price has increased by more than 25%. This significant trend is probably going to continue with the introduction of its first generally accessible EV.
Who has the most advanced solid-state battery technology?
Leading manufacturer of thin-film lithium polymer batteries for use in micro and Internet of Things devices is Brightvolt. Their proprietary polymer-electrolyte and manufacturing techniques provide their Flexion line of solid state thin film lithium polymer batteries the highest energy density per millimeter in the sector. The business has more than 75 issued patents worldwide.
Which battery business is collaborating with Toyota?
The next year, Toyota Motor Corp. would introduce a compact all-electric sedan in China. Price and what it provides consumers indicate that Toyota will join the EV production revolution. What is known as follows.
Toyota Motor is acclaimed as the hybrid king of the world and has said that full electrification is not yet feasible on a global scale. Toyota has invested the majority of its resources in hybrid vehicles, giving them more time to investigate and create EV battery technology.
Which businesses are engaged in solid-state battery production?
Top 10 manufacturers of solid-state batteries in 2022
- CATL.
- BYD.
- LG.
- WELION.
- GTC-Power.
- Tailan.
- ENPOWER.
- SES.
What timeframe for the release of solid-state batteries?
For internal testing, Solid Power claimed to have started solid-state EV battery pilot production. Later this year, the business will start providing batteries to Ford and BMW for testing. If all goes as planned, mass manufacturing might start as early as 2024.
How soon will solid-state batteries be available?
According to the Brussels-based advocacy group Transport and Environment, solid state batteries have the potential to cut the carbon footprint of electric vehicle batteries by up to 39% in comparison to liquid lithium-ion batteries (T&E).
Minviro, a business based in London that specializes in raw material life-cycle analysis, was contracted by Transport & Environment (T&E) to conduct research. Minviro contrasted current battery chemistries with new solid state technology.
Ford and BMW will start testing solid state batteries in EVs in late 2022. These batteries are anticipated to be employed in EVs starting in 2025.
T&E provides the following summary of the Minviro study:
The comparison contrasts existing lithium-ion technology with an NMC-811 solid state battery, one of the most promising chemistries being investigated. With solid state technology, electric current is carried by solid ceramic material rather than liquid electrolytes, which makes batteries lighter, quicker to charge, and ultimately less expensive.
What is the name of the eternal battery stock?
A “Forever Battery” Stock with Millionaire-Maker Potential is QuantumScape
Imagine your $10,000 investment increasing to over $46 million.
Toyota EV: Will it have solid-state batteries?
Toyota previously unveiled the world’s first solid-state battery-only electric vehicle prototype (based on the LQ concept) in 2020 and declared that it would display a production-preview concept/prototype (anticipated to be some sort of crossover) one year later.
We haven’t seen that car yet, perhaps as a result of the combined impact of the pandemic and the semiconductor scarcity on Toyota and the industry as a whole, but the Japanese company is still a leader in solid-state and is still on schedule to be the first to market a car using this technology.
This is in line with a Nikkei Asia report that also claims that South Korean businesses trail well behind Japanese participants in the global solid-state scene. According to the source, Toyota is in the lead due to its amazing 1,331 patents held, followed by Panasonic with 445 and Idemitsu Kosan with 272 (mostly pertaining to the metals used in these types of batteries); Samsung is in fourth place.
Gallery: 2019 Toyota LQ concept
It is noteworthy that Toyota and Panasonic, who established a joint venture in 2020, are collaborating on solid-state batteries. The automaker reportedly grew its patent portfolio by 40% between 2016 and 2020.
Toyota intends to use its first solid state battery in a hybrid vehicle that will be on sale in the upcoming years. Previous rumors that the next-generation Prius would be the first commercially available car with a solid-state battery have not been confirmed, but it still seems like a safe bet.
The idea for Toyota’s first solid-state EV, a crossover that the automaker stated it would reveal in 2021, will likely be unveiled soon, though the production model won’t likely be available until later in the decade. Obviously, cost is the biggest barrier stopping solid-state technology from becoming widely used.
According to the source, Korean companies are growing. There are numerous additional businesses engaged in solid-state battery research, with VinFast of Vietnam being the most recent to make an announcement on an investment in the battery startup ProLogium.