Japanese electric car all-solid-state battery Gigacast charges for 10 minutes Automaker manufactures the same
The Japanese electric car market has started a competition for latecomers by driving 1,000 km with an all-solid-state battery charged in 10 minutes by the Giga Cast process at a factory in Japan.
Japan adopted the same manufacturing process development system for electric vehicles and batteries, and South Korea started to compete for next-generation electric vehicles with a separate development and production system for electric vehicles and batteries.
Toyota Motor Corporation announced on the 13th that it will mass-produce the system by the end of 2026, betting on the performance improvement of electric vehicles (EV).
Toyota's all-solid-state battery will be installed in the next-generation electric vehicle handled by the BEV factory in the electric vehicle business department launched in May. day reported.
Yomiuri reported that Honda's president, Toshihiro Mibe, said, "The most important thing is the competitiveness of batteries" when it comes to strengthening the competitiveness of EVs.
Nissan plans to build a prototype all-solid-state battery production line at its plant in Kanagawa Prefecture by 2024 with an investment of 140 billion yen.
Toyota announced next-generation electric vehicle technology as a technical briefing, including details of the new all-solid-state battery, on the 12th, one day before the annual shareholders' meeting.
Regarding battery technology, Toyota said, “We have several initiatives to improve performance, reduce costs, and are ready to move.”
For new technology announced by Toyota, one giant aluminum die-casting machine is working with rocket designers from Mitsubishi to reduce complex welded assemblies in car manufacturing, reduce aerodynamic drag in EVs by a factor of 0.1, and suppliers such as Alcin Denso are working with electric motors and On the 13th, Reuters reported on the introduction of very small 'eAxles' to combine parts.
Toyota is working with Denso on silicon carbide wafers for semiconductors to be used in inverters for next-generation electric vehicles, and Toyota promises to reduce power loss in electric motors in EVs by up to 50 percent with this chip, Reuters reported.
Unlike lithium-ion batteries, which Korea focuses on, all-solid-state batteries use solid electrolytes instead of liquids, and have the advantages of high output, compact size, convenience, long-distance operation, and shortened charging time. Japanese automakers such as Toyota seem to have solved this problem.
Regarding Toyota's production line, Yomiuri said, "By using large cast parts called 'Gigacast', we have expanded to a global sales target of 3.5 million electric vehicles before 2030." It will be the next generation of electric vehicles in the BEV factory.”
Regarding Toyota's "Gigacast," Takeo Kato, plant manager of BEV, told Yomiuri, "By realizing large-scale integration of parts, it can contribute to reducing vehicle development costs and plant investment, which are the future of manufacturing."
Giga Cast will manufacture the lower part of the car body as a single part through a single casting, which was produced by connecting 86 parts in the existing 33 processes.
Yomiuri expected that Tesla would also introduce a similar manufacturing method, resulting in significant cost savings.
Toyota said it will introduce a manufacturing system that develops batteries as parts for electric vehicles and, in particular, will introduce a manufacturing system in which unfinished vehicles to be manufactured will move to the next process in the factory unmanned by themselves. A change in the system began.
Samsung SDI is developing all-solid-state batteries, and Toyota commercialized all-solid-state batteries in the early 2020s and installed them in hybrid vehicles (HVs) first, and holds about 1,000 patents related to all-solid-state batteries.
On May 13, 2020, Samsung Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Vice Chairman Chung Eui-sun met at Samsung SDI's Cheonan plant and reportedly agreed to "lead Samsung" in the development of "all-solid-state batteries."
Korea separated electric vehicles and batteries from manufacturing from the beginning, and the lithium-ion battery system is the main product, and it is exposed to the risk of fire and damage in case of impact by using liquid as an electrolyte.
The all-solid-state variety, which uses solids, is highly likely to dominate the next-generation battery market due to a dramatic increase in the number of parts, weight reduction and volume reduction.
Quantumscape, an American battery startup backed by Bill Gates and Volkswagen, has signed contracts with six electric vehicle manufacturers, including Volkswagen, for all-solid-state batteries, Reuters reported.
German Mercedes-Benz, American automaker Stellantis, and Total Energy signed an all-solid-state battery development contract with Taiwan-based battery manufacturer ProLogium Technology.
Solid Power(SLDP), an American battery startup jointly invested by Ford of the United States and BMW of Germany, is producing prototype batteries.
Reuters said that Hyundai Motor Company plans to mass-produce all-solid-state batteries by 2030, and Tesla did not explain its plan to develop all-solid-state batteries in detail.