Study Finds Toyota's Solid-State Battery Patent Leads the Massive

Solid-state batteries are expected to increase the range of electric vehicles while reducing charging time and cost compared to the liquid batteries currently in use.

As a result, most major automakers are developing solid-state batteries, and one of the leaders could be Toyota. Until recently, Toyota has been reluctant to develop battery-powered vehicles, preferring hydrogen fuel cells instead.

Japan's Nikkei newspaper partnered with Tokyo-based research firm Patent Results to examine the number of solid-state battery patents filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization between 2000 and March 2022 for 10 specific countries and regions.

In a detailed report of the survey results released Thursday, Toyota topped the list with 1,331 patents, with Panasonic Holdings in a distant second with 445; Idemitsu Kosan was third with 272 patents; and the number of patents filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization was the highest in the world, at 1,760.

According to the Nikkei, Toyota has been researching solid-state batteries since the 1990s, and its patents cover a wide range of battery structures, materials, and manufacturing processes. Toyota has also formed a joint venture with Panasonic to manufacture batteries, including solid-state designs. Toyota is also part of a Japanese consortium researching this technology. Other partners include Honda and Nissan.

The patent need not be an indication of imminent production, but Toyota has promised to launch a vehicle with solid-state batteries by mid-decade, although it will be a hybrid and not a fully electric vehicle.

In 2020, Toyota began testing solid-state batteries in a single EV based on its 2017 Concept-i. Toyota said at the time that the battery would deliver high power output due to the fast movement of ions inside, but that its short service life remained an issue to be resolved.

Nissan said last year that it plans to sell EVs with solid-state batteries by 2028. Nissan plans to launch EVs with solid-state batteries by 2028, by which time it expects the cost of solid-state batteries to be about $75 per kWh. Current battery costs average closer to $130 per kwh.

The Volkswagen Group is also developing solid-state batteries and predicts a 30% increase in range over current liquid batteries of the same size and 80% charge in about 12 minutes The VW Group plans to introduce the first solid-state batteries after 2025 The VW Group plans to introduce its first solid-state battery after 2025.

Note that Toyota is not waiting for solid-state batteries before entering EVs in earnest. Late last year, Toyota announced plans to launch 30 EVs across the Toyota and Lexus brands by 2030, starting with the 2023 BZ4X and the related 2023 Lexus RZ.