Honda doesn''t just want to power future vehicles with solid-state batteries; the company wants to develop and ultimately mass-produce the batteries itself. Solid-state tech represents a deep-anchored cornerstone of both its midterm electric vehicle plans and its greater goal of achieving full carbon neutrality by 2050. It took a big step toward those objectives this month, unveiling its first demonstration solid-state production line, which will allow it to refine both the battery construction and the manufacturing processes behind it.
Like other automakers and battery suppliers, Honda realizes that solid-state technology has the potential to directly address the biggest problems facing today''s electric vehicles. First and foremost, it will work to leverage solid-state''s superior energy density toward batteries that supply double the range within the same size footprint as modern lithium ion-powered EVs, providing up to 620 miles (1,000 km) per charge by the end of the decade.
Since not every driver needs that much range, Honda will also rely on the superior energy density to decrease battery size and weight in some cars, allowing for more design flexibility and more spacious interior layouts. In addition to cutting battery size by 50% for the same amount of energy as a lithium-ion pack, the company estimates weight-saving potential at 35%.
Honda also cites lowered costs, increased charge/discharge rates, shored up stability and safety, and improved overall durability as target advantages of its solid-state battery program.
If those advantages are realized, solid-state batteries will underpin a new generation of Honda EV that can compete with and downright outshine ICE vehicles in critical areas like price and everyday driving convenience. Honda aims to launch the first solid-state-powered EVs in the second half of the 2020s as it works toward offering a lineup consisting exclusively of battery electric and fuel cell electric vehicles by 2040.
Given how much importance Honda places on solid-state batteries, it''s not surprising to see it pushing for more vertical integration, bringing solid-state battery development in-house with the intention of manufacturing its own units. Doing so will help it achieve a targeted 25% battery cost reduction, the company estimates.
Honda took a major step in its ambitious solid-state roadmap last Thursday (Nov. 21st), when it unveiled a demonstration production line at its R&D campus in Sakura City, Japan. It will use the line to develop and verify both the specifications of solid-state battery cells themselves and the mass production processes behind them, helping to shorten the overall development timeframe and ensure its batteries work within a production system, not just in a lab.
"It is possible to develop a small battery while focusing on the performance of materials rather than restrictions of mass-production methods; however, for commercialization, it is important to develop batteries while envisioning future mass-production methods, which will enable our batteries to meet the requirements for each model, such as size and cost," Honda writes about its solid-state strategy.
"The size and structure of electrodes and a specific stamping method required for all-solid-state batteries affect each other in terms of performance, cost, and quality. Therefore, we are conducting research to achieve compatibility between material specifications and production method specifications for batteries of a certain size."
The construction of the new three-building battery production line was completed in the spring, and Honda has now added nearly all the equipment and tooling it needs to begin verifying mass production techniques. It will use the new 295,000-sq ft (27,400-sq m) facility to verify production steps around weighing and mixing of electrode materials, coating and roll-pressing of the electrode assembly and formation of cells, and assembly of the module.
Honda views the roll-pressing aspect as particularly critical, stressing that the method increases the solid electrolyte density while also increasing interfacial contact between the electrolyte and electrode, both important factors in battery performance. At the same time, the technique ensures the high-speed processing necessary for mass production, allowing each electrode and cell assembly to quickly roll through and onto the next steps.
"The all-solid-state battery is an innovative technology that will be a game changer in this EV era," said Honda R&D president and director Keiji Otsu. "We will continue taking on challenges to launch our mobility products equipped with our all-solid-state batteries as quickly as possible so that Honda can offer new value to our customers."
The broader term "mobility products" foreshadows solid-state battery tech playing a key role in future Honda products beyond cars and trucks. The company points specifically to motorcycles and aircraft as two other product lineups poised to benefit from the new technology and help achieve the economies of scale necessary to further drive down battery costs.
Most car makers have muttered something about them in the last couple of years, but what are they and why should you care. Here''s all you need to know about this ground-breaking tech, right down to when it''ll be available in our EVs.
Solid-state battery compositions will make batteries smaller and more energy dense. That means an EV can either go further with more batteries, or do the same range but be more lightweight and, crucially, cheaper with fewer batteries.
Let''s simplify things a minute: picture a 10cm wide rectangle. The first two centimetres are the anode (positive electrode) – usually made from graphite* – and the last two centimetres are the cathode (the negative electrode) – made from lithium iron phosphate (LFP) or lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC)*.
Between the anode and cathode sits a liquid or gel electrolyte. In the middle sits a separator – a type of salt membrane that catalyses the chemistry, encourages the electrons to move between the two electrodes and prevents the electrodes from touching.
You''re absolutely right. All rechargeable batteries suffer from a condition called dendrite formation. It''s a bit like dental plaque build up, but for electrodes. The repeated charging and discharging causes ion particles to form long spiky structures on the surface of the electrode. If they get so long they meet, they can cause the battery to short, or worse still catch fire. Hence, the separator.
Firstly, you can stop liquidy stuff sloshing around in the battery. Glass, of course, does not slosh, and sloshing is not especially stable and cars, by their very nature, tend to move. Unsurprisingly, car makers like stability. Solid electrolytes are more stable (and also less flammable, for the less-fiery-win).
Secondly, the solid electrolyte can multi-task as the catalysing separator, too. Doing away with the separator and the liquid electrolyte means your 10cm rectangle is now only six centimetres wide. A two-centimetre electrolyte sandwiched between a two-centimetre anode and two-centimetre cathode – solid-state sandwich heaven.
Exactly, the energy density of the battery already increases with the reduction in size. But using solid-state electrolytes means a graphite anode could be switched with a lithium one. A lithium anode could improve the energy density of the cell by as much as 40 per cent.
And wait, that''s not all. Today''s batteries need plenty of thermal management. Slower charging, even in rapid mode, kicks in at 50-80 per cent of charge to prevent overheating. As such you rarely get full use of all the battery and charging takes longer.
What''s more, researchers have found the heat generated from rapid charging increases ''ionic conductivity''. That appears to inhibit the growth of our spiky dendrite foes. Some studies even show certain temperatures ''self-healing'' dendrites, meaning the structure becomes less spiky and shorter. Pretty wild, eh?
That, coupled with the difficulties and costs associated with scaling new tech means it''ll be a little while before solid-state batteries are in our cars. Some niche/premium models might feature them by the back end of the decade.Plus, the way batteries are currently produced, if scientists want to change the materials of the anode and/or cathode, it''s pretty straightforward. Retooling for switching out the electrolyte, however, isn''t so easy – change involves expense and car makers are trying to drive down the costs, so there''s that.
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