By Lawrence Matheson
Nissan has announced plans to mass produce electric vehicles (EVs) powered by advanced next-generation batteries by early 2029.
Despite falling behind newer competitors such as Tesla in the US and China's BYD in the burgeoning all-electric auto sector, Nissan, like other automakers in Japan, sees an opportunity to catch up and potentially leapfrog the competition with a new type of battery. This new battery, which promises to be more powerful, cheaper, safer and quicker to charge than the current lithium-ion batteries, is known as a solid-state battery.
It replaces the corrosive liquids found in conventional batteries with solid metals and is widely regarded as the next step for EVs. Major automakers are in a race to develop versions that can be mass produced, with rivals such as Volkswagen and Toyota also announcing efforts to produce solid-state EVs.
Toyota has set a target date of 2027-28 to start bringing them to market. However, there are still significant hurdles to overcome before this technology reaches commercial mass production.
The vast facility outside Tokyo that Nissan showcased on Tuesday was largely empty, but company officials stated that it is scheduled to begin operating a pilot production line by March 2025. Commercial production of EVs at the plant is scheduled to commence in the fiscal year 2028, which runs from April 2028 to March 2029.
"Once electric vehicles get going, costs will come down compared to the internal combustion engine. They will also be so convenient. For one, you won't ever have to go to a gas stand," Executive Vice President Hideyuki Sakamoto said during a visit to the factory.
"The engineers at Nissan are all working hard to create this new world," Sakamoto added. Nissan executives remain tight-lipped about several areas of the technology and the details of their global production plans, as well as investment amounts.
They did, however, reveal that the firm had created exclusive, unique materials for its batteries, such as a metallic form of lithium. In 2010, Nissan became an EV pioneer with the introduction of its all-electric Leaf. The company plans to integrate solid-state batteries into a variety of vehicles, including pickup trucks.
"We are finally scaling up on our all-solid-state battery line," stated corporate vice president Shunichi Inamijima. "Our all-solid-state battery technology is a game-changer for making EV sales grow explosively."
