Batteries

Competitive edge in battery know-how

Toyota both produces batteries in-house and collaborates with partners for the development and supply of batteries. This collaborative structure will enable us to share knowledge and establish a stable supply system to meet the increased production of electrified vehicles. In 1996 we established what is today known as Prime Earth EV Energy. Since then we have produced more than 20 million batteries. At first we refined our nickel-metal hydride battery technologies, and then in 2003 we accelerated the development of lithium-ion batteries. Since establishing our Battery Research Division in 2008, we have advanced our research on solid-state and other next-generation batteries.

Diverse battery technologies are essential

In 2021 we established Prime Planet Energy & Solutions, to accelerate integrated efforts in our battery business and realise even more advanced, high-quality and affordable batteries. We are developing diverse battery technologies for the current and future line-up of our electrified vehicles. They take into consideration the fact that battery performance depends on conditions: for example, if a vehicle is being driven in very hot or cold regions, or on paved or unpaved roads. Ensuring battery durability is also essential. To emphasise Toyota’s commitment to durability, with the bZ4X SUV BEV we offer an extended warranty for one million kilometres.

Developing a full line-up of batteries

We are developing batteries of different sizes and types, while retaining a clear focus on the key elements of QDR (quality, durability and reliability), performance, safety and cost. For HEVs, we will continue to evolve nickel-metal hydride and lithium-ion products, while introducing new bipolar nickel-metal hydride batteries which reduce cost and raise instantaneous power. For our PHEVs and BEVs, batteries that optimise endurance are required. Aiming for commercialization in the latter half of the 2020s, we are developing a new type of lithium-ion battery that improves the performance of lithium-ion batteries for PHEVs and BEVs.

Bipolar NiMH battery

Batteries are undergoing a remarkable evolution, including their structure. We will continue to examine a wide range of possibilities to develop batteries with innovative structures. Recently we started production of the world's first bi-polar NiMH battery. This is smaller and lighter than a regular NiMH battery. Crucially, it uses fewer critical earth materials, which means less mining and lower environmental impact. And it results in lower costs. Yet it delivers an output density which is double that of a regular NiMh battery.

Lower cost Li-Ion battery

We are applying the same kind of breakthrough thinking to lithium-ion batteries. The result is a reduction in cost of Li-Ion BEV batteries by 30% or more in the short term. At the same time, we expect to reduce energy consumption in vehicles by 30%, thereby allowing us to make the battery 30% smaller for the same range. Putting these elements together, we expect to be able to reduce battery cost per vehicle by 50% in the second half of the 2020s. This approach will bring significant benefits in terms of packaging, vehicle weight and, perhaps most importantly, BEV affordability.

The promise of solid-state batteries

Solid-state batteries hold great promise. They replace a liquid electrolyte with a solid electrolyte and have the potential to enable lighter, denser batteries which charge faster than current batteries. Testing of solid-state batteries in prototype vehicles has demonstrated their excellence in producing instantaneous power. We are also looking at their application in HEVs as well as in BEVs and PHEVs. In short, we are fully committed to accelerate the development of capacity-focused solid-state batteries.