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I was perusing the news this morning when I spotted this article:
The first thing I thought was, "Too good to be true." However, I kept reading, and this technology seems promising. However, before jumping on the "We've Done It!" bandwagon, I did come away with some questions:
- The technology promises a range of up to 621 miles (1000 km). It also says the batteries will be faster-charging. However, the article doesn't give any stats for what vehicle the range was based on, nor what operating conditions (extreme heat or cold, towing, etc.). The article also doesn't give details on the faster charging (times and voltage).
- The technology promises a battery life of 90% capacity after 40 years (compared with 90% capacity after 10 years for conventional lithium batteries). This is a significant improvement, and the ability to swap the battery into a new vehicle when the old one wears out is a great idea.
- Can this technology be applied to homes? It seems to me that having a battery that charges at night and is supplemented by solar during the day would aid the commercial electric companies by smoothing out the daily cyclic demand curve.
- Can other vehicles benefit from this technology? Think of boats, small planes, UTVs, ATVs, lawn mowers, etc.
- And what about uses for the military? I suspect high-capacity, long-life batteries would be great in drones, both aerial and submerged.
There may be other questions, but these were the first I came up with on short notice.
Discussion (34)
CONTRIBUTOR
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Also, how exactly it's supposed to work. Magic beans?
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Looks good, if we can assure political stability in Lithiostan and Sulfuristan.
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I asked Google's AI about it. This is what it told me:
So probably not magic beans.
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Among other things, I found this discussion on reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/electricvehicles/comments/1mpflpq/the_first_ev_powered_by_a_semisolidstate_battery/
I gather from this and other articles that a lot depends on the anode. Some SSBs qualify as solid state but if they have just a graphite anode, they don't have much advantage over current batteries. If they have a lithium anode, there are a lot more advantages, including better safety and fewer fires.
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The usual issues with 'breakthrough' physical techs are manufacturability and cost.
I assume Toyota believes they have beaten the first issue, or they wouldn't be announcing a rollout.
However, EVs already front-load lifetime costs - you're buying lower operating costs down the road in return for a bigger capital outlay up front. If the 40 year lifetime for the new batteries implies an even larger initial cost, then uptake may be slow. Not all can afford the hit, and those who are virtue signaling with their $ may not appreciate the improved tech.
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