Nissan says it is working on the development of “solid-state” batteries, and is estimated to launch the first electric model to feature the technology in 2028. In solid-state batteries, the liquid electrolyte is replaced by a solid substance, which increases energy density and improves safety and charging time. The problem is that the technology is expensive and there is still much to improve.

Nissan is working with researchers at Oxford and wants to start experimental production of batteries that will remove liquid components in 2025. It is planned that the development of the technology will be successful in 2026, and in 2028 the first electric model will be released, which will have a “solid-state” type instead of a lithium-ion battery, officials of the Japanese group are quoted as saying. from Autocar UK.

The long-term goal is for the new batteries to cost half as much as lithium-ion batteries, have twice the energy density and three times the charging speed of lithium-ion batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries have their drawbacks, and it is not uncommon to read about the great prospect of the future: solid-state batteries. But these batteries are far from mass production.

Volkswagen, Ford, Toyota, BMW and Nissan are among the major car companies investigating the viability of replacing lithium-ion batteries with solid-state batteries in electric vehicles of the future, but there are still many years of work ahead.

Many car companies say the future belongs to solid-state batteries, and research has been going on for years, among the most prominent is QuantumScape, a company in which Volkswagen has also invested.

However, it is still far from the time when new electric cars will be replaced by solid-state lithium-ion batteries, in which the liquid electrolyte will be abandoned in favor of a solid one.

In 2020, BMW officials said the technology would still have to wait until at least 2027, and Toyota, which tested a prototype with solid-state batteries three years ago, said the energy density was higher but the battery life was shorter, so there is still work needs to be done.

These solid-state batteries are said to be more stable, the risk of fire is greatly reduced, and the charging time will be reduced, which would be extremely good.

The problem is that the technology is currently expensive, not all parts have been worked out for serial production, and it is likely that more serial models with these promising batteries will not appear until after 2030.