Solid-state batteries are poised to revolutionize the car industry, and Honda is inching closer to putting them in their cars, far ahead of many automakers.
These types of batteries differ in their makeup from other types, and those differences are an advantage. They're more energy dense, meaning they can store more energy in the same amount of space, or the same amount of energy in a smaller footprint. Solid-state batteries are generally considered safer because they don't use a liquid electrolyte that can leak or catch fire. And, they perform better in high temperatures, which enables faster charging.
Honda just completed its first solid-state battery demonstration assembly line (covering approximately 295,000 square feet) at its plant in Tochigi, Japan, to test its mass production process for assembling the batteries. The line has special equipment to verify each production process, including weighing and mixing of materials, coating and roll pressing of assemblies, formation of cells, and construction of the modules.
Honda will also be looking at the costs of assembling these new batteries, which, besides the advantages above, are also less expensive to produce. With its roll-pressing technique, similar to how liquid batteries are made, it can increase the density of the solid layers and make continuous pressing possible. The bonding of the electrodes is faster too with the company trying to reduce production time per cell.
Honda is also working to reduce the indirect costs of production, including power consumption even though the necessary temperature of building as solid-state batteries are less finicky during production (and usage).
The automaker's aim in reducing costs is to pass the saving onto the customer. This could result in the price of battery-electric vehicles reducing to the price of those with other powertrains. Because of its enormous size and widely varying power and off-road equipment in addition to passenger vehicles, Honda plans to amortize the cost of these solid-state cells over millions of units.
Though the new battery technology is not set for mass production until the second half of the 2020s, Honda has been working on it for more than a decade. The company says that because of that early research it was able to produce the demonstration line quickly, and is making progress in material selections.
"Replacing engines that have been supporting the advancements of automobiles to date, batteries will be the key factor of electrification. We believe that advancement of batteries will be a driving force in the transformation of Honda," Keiji Otsu, President and Representative Director of Honda R&D said in a press release.
"Now, the start of operation of our demonstration production line for our all-solid-state batteries is in sight, and we can say that we have reached an important milestone for Honda and the country of Japan. We will continue taking on challenges to launch our mobility products equipped with our all-solid-state batteries as quickly as possible so that Honda can offer new value to our customers."
Honda is just one of many automakers in different phases of researching and developing solid-state batteries. BMW and Nissan both have joint development agreements with a U.S.-based battery company Solid Power, with plans to introduce these types of batteries in vehicles before the end of the decade. Stellantis is an investor in Factorial, a company that plans produce an electric Dodge Charger Daytona demonstration car with solid-state batteries by 2026. Volkswagen, Toyota and others have their own deals and have made similar promises on their own timelines.
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