Japanese automaker Honda wants to eliminate range anxiety and the price premium associated with electric cars, a goal it hopes to reach by 2030 with solid-state batteries. The company revealed its demonstration production line for the technology last month in hopes of producing an EV with 620 miles of range by the end of the decade, thanks to the batteries’ lighter, smaller construction. If all goes to plan, those trick new electrical devices would give the company a cheaper, longer-range EV than its current Honda Prologue, for example. But as usual, there’s a catch: the automaker told Automotive News it needs to upsize its current solid-state battery cell technology 100 times over for it to be viable in cars.
Honda
Japanese automaker Honda rose from the ashes of WWII and set about its business as a manufacturer of motorcycles initially, only launching its first car, the T360 kei truck, in 1963. Founder Soichiro Honda targeted the American market as the most important nut to crack, leading to generations of iconic nameplates like the Civic and Accord being among America’s best-selling passenger cars. Today, Hondas are renowned for their safety, practicality, and reliability, with a sprinkling of performance from models like the Civic Type R.
- Founded
- 24 September 1948
- Founder
- Soichiro Honda
- Headquarters
- Hamamatsu, Japan
- Owned By
- Publicly Traded
- Current CEO
- Toshihiro Mibe
Longer Range, Lighter Weight, And Leaner Cost
The solid-state batteries Honda envisions producing for successors to the 0-Series Saloon will be around 35 percent lighter and half the size of existing wet-cell batteries. Compared to the 1,200-pound battery found in the Prologue, the theoretical Honda solid-state battery would weigh about 780 pounds and fit within the wheelbase of a Civic-sized automobile, meaning the same amount of electrical capacity could be applied to a much lighter, more efficient vehicle.
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What’s more, Honda says it’s targeting a 25 percent cost savings by 2030 for solid-state batteries compared to existing technology, which should help a wider range of consumers adopt EVs (especially since automakers like Toyota are getting in on the game, too).
Honda’s demonstration production facility for the prototype batteries is near its research and development compound in Tochigi, Japan. The process includes mixing the electrolyte slurry in large batches, then roll-pressing it into a dense, clay-like panel, which gives greater surface area contact with the battery electrodes for better energy efficiency. Honda says its solid-state construction method simplifies the manufacturing process, leading to faster and cheaper production (and cheaper cars). According to Automotive News, the company also wants to reduce and eventually eliminate its use of cobalt, nickel, and lithium in those electrode and electrolyte panels.
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Unfortunately For Honda, Size Matters
The biggest holdup in the development process has been the viable size of these solid-state batteries. For them to work properly, the electrolyte needs to be rolled into a thin, uniformly dense mass, which requires very precise production methods, a feat that’s easier when building batteries for a laptop or a phone than for a car. For example, building solid-state units requires very precise control over temperature and humidity to prevent internal short-circuiting in the electrolyte. Honda’s solution is to confine each step of the production process within its own chamber, reducing HVAC costs since the company doesn’t need to fill an entire factory with precise stoichiometric air.
“For automotive use, the size of all-solid-state batteries will need to be large enough, and it is very difficult to produce such batteries while trying to meet the automobile standards. The most difficult part is to make these bigger.”
– Yoshiaki Matsuzono, Honda Executive Chief Engineer
But again, building such capsules is easier when the batteries are palm-sized, not pallet-sized. That’s why Honda admits it needs its solid-state cells to be 100 times larger for them to be useful in a passenger car. However, even if achieves its goal of installing these batteries in its automobiles by 2030, the company says the technology has still more room for improvement. In fact, it aims for even smaller, lighter, and cheaper batteries in the following decade, making EVs powered by solid-state batteries an even more appealing proposition.
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Source:
Automotive News
News Summary:
- Honda Reveals Ambitious Target For 2030
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