Honda's new facility could drive breakthroughs in solid-state batteries for electric cars, ultimately leading to batteries with more than double the range of existing EVs.
Honda could spearhead the adoption of solid-state batteries in EVs over the next decade. Honda plans to produce solid-state batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) that could deliver up to 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) on a single charge — more than double the range of currently available mass-market electric cars , the company announced last month. If that goal is achieved, it would be a big step in overcoming "range anxiety" — a major barrier to widespread EV adoption. In November, Honda unveiled a demonstration production line for its future solid-state batteries, which the Japanese automaker plans to integrate into its EVs in the second half of the decade, at a mass market scale. "The all-solid-state battery is an innovative technology that will be a game changer in this EV era," Keiji Otsu, president and representative director of Honda R&D, said in a statement . "Replacing engines that have been supporting the advancements of automobiles to date, batteries will be the key factor of electrification." Related: Meet 'Blackbird': A flying taxi that spins and moves in any direction thanks to new propulsion system These solid-state batteries are expected to be 50% smaller, 35% lighter and 25% cheaper to construct than the liquid lithium-ion batteries found in current EVs. However, the major roadblock to the technology is that the solid-state cells Honda has developed to date are too small to be used in any current vehicle models. The goal of the new facility is to solve that problem starting in 2025. A solid road ahead Solid-state batteries rely on a solid electrolyte — a substance that enables the flow of ions, but not electrons, through it. Electrolytes enable positively…