Nissan Solid-State Battery Plant Nears Production Readiness

Solid-state EV batteries are viewed as a solution for the many shortcomings of lithium-ion batteries, but they have seemed like a mirage that remains forever on the horizon.

Nissan has put a stake in the ground, saying that it will have solid-state batteries in its cars by 2028, and to prove it the company has unveiled the plant that is building those batteries already. Toyota announced a similar schedule last year that targets 2027-2028.

Nissan revealed its all-solid-state battery pilot production line at its Yokohama Plant in Kanagawa Prefecture. This pilot line develops the necessary manufacturing technologies for the batteries for future mass production.

The future Nissan solid-state battery plant, during construction. NISSAN

Allied Market Research predicts that the global market for solid-state batteries for all applications will grow from $500 million in 2020 to $3.4 billion by 2030. Most of these are for consumer electronics applications, but EVs will also be getting some of the batteries by then.

Nissan points out that solid-state batteries have the potential to double the energy density of today’s lithium-ion batteries. They also charge much faster thanks to superior charge and discharge characteristics and they’ll help address the EV affordability problem because they use less expensive materials than lithium-ion batteries do.

Related:Nissan Teases Four New Concept Cars at the Beijing Motor Show

The company says that it anticipates using solid-state batteries across its range of vehicle segments, even including pickup trucks.

Nissan said that the cost of solid-state batteries can be cut to just $75 per kilowatt-hour by 2028, when it starts selling cars that use the batteries. The cost will fall to $65 per kWh thereafter the company predicts. That price is important because that’s the level where Nissan says it puts EVs even in terms of cost with combustion vehicles.

Nissan technicians have practiced making solid-state batteries at the company's Oppama Research Center

"Nissan has been a leader in electrification technology through a wide range of R&D activities, from molecular-level battery material research to the development of safe, high-performance EVs,” said Kunio Nakaguro, Nissan’s executive vice president for research and development. “The knowledge gained from our experience supports the development of all-solid-state batteries and we’ve accumulated important elemental technologies. Going forward, our R&D and manufacturing divisions will continue to work together to utilize this prototype production facility and accelerate the practical application of all-solid-state batteries."

The solid-state battery production announcement at Nissan's Yokohama plant is just the company's latest manufacturing news, following the announcement of EV and battery manufacturing plans at the company's Sunderland, UK plant. That plant's future was put in doubt by Brexit, but Nissan has committed to converting it to EV production.

Related:Solid-State Batteries: ‘Success Depends on Manufacturability’