Nissan plans to start producing solid-state electric vehicle (EV) batteries by next March and bring them to market by 2029, it told Automotive News last week.
“By next March, Japan’s No. 3 automaker says, state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment will be installed and turning out trial runs of the breakthrough next-generation batteries,” the outlet wrote.
Solid-state batteries are billed as the next generation of EV batteries because they are more energy-dense and don’t have risks of fire that the current lithium-ion EV batteries are prone to.
Lithium-ion EV batteries are extremely heavy, have a limited range, and use gel to charge. The fire risk comes when the battery is damaged, but no such risk exists with solid-state batteries.
In addition, solid-state batteries could be built to have a much longer range than the current EV batteries or could be made much smaller and lighter with a similar range.
Researchers say solid-state batteries can potentially use fewer rare Earth metals than lithium-ion ones.
Nissan has a plant built to begin producing the batteries for testing at first, but the game plan is to be among the first to get them to market.
The automaker has been a pioneer in the EV market; its Leaf EV debuted in 2010 back when Teslas cost six figures and were little more than a niche product.
In recent years, Nissan has lost much of its pioneering reputation with EVs. Its Ariya EV is minimalist and a minor part of its fleet.
“Nissan believes it can deliver a solid-state battery by 2028 that holds twice the energy of a lithium-ion battery, charges in one-third the time,” and is affordable, according to AN.
The carmaker said it believes it can make EVs at the same price as gas-powered cars “by the end of the decade.”
Nissan is not the only automaker making plans that involve solid-state batteries.
Toyota and BMW are also working on solid-state battery research projects, and other automakers are likely looking into it as well.
Toyota has thought it would be producing solid-state EV cars by now, but on its current timeline, it will probably not mass-produce them until after 2030.
Nissan’s project seems more far-reaching than other automakers’ plans. In addition to developing vehicle batteries, the automaker is also looking into city development using the new technology.
The automaker’s long-term plan is called Ambition 2030. It includes releasing 19 new EV models, including hybrids, that it says will make up 55 percent of its global sales.
The new solid-state technology will be a “game-changer for EVs,” Nissan believes.
The plan dovetails with the Hyper Force EV concept it unveiled in October. The Hyper Force looks like a cross between a Tesla and a sportscar and is designed with maximum aerodynamics.
It also has a “Surf Out” electric pickup truck concept in the works.
Despite Nissan’s advanced solid-state plans, it lags behind state-backed electric vehicle companies in China, which are taking preorders for cars with semi-solid-state batteries like Nio’s ET7.
In October, the New York Times reported Nio losing $35,000 per car sold and receiving $2.6 billion from Chinese state-controlled banks and local governments when it almost ran out of cash in 2020. Despite the state backing, the company posted an annual loss of $2.9 billion for 2023, its largest loss yet. According to Bloomberg, the company has never made a profit.
Nio aims to enter the American market in 2025 and is already selling cars in Europe. In October, the European Commission launched an investigation into whether to impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, which it says benefit from state subsidies.
