Nissan solid state batteries for EVs
Like everybody else, Nissan is betting the farm on solid-state battery technology and has now released projected timelines and probable cost per kilowatt-hour. The timeline is 2028 and the cost is $75, projected to drop to $65 not long after that.
Very few people can define what $65 per kilowatt-hour is, but it is a magical number. If you can build an electric vehicle (EV) at that price, you will reach price parity with similar internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles and the biggest obstacle EVs face – cost – will fall away. To give you an idea, the average cost per kWh in 2021 was $132. This means last year an EV cost twice as much as a similar ICE vehicle.
This high purchase price is a barrier to most people, even though the running costs are a fraction of ICE, while the performance of an EV is way better. Dedicated EVs are also more efficiently laid out, because the batteries can form a flat floor and the motors are much smaller and can be fitted on the axle or even next to the wheel, negating the clutter of drive shafts and heavy gearboxes.
The big prize is solid-state, which is lighter and has an energy density double that of conventional lithium-ion batteries, which means you can more than halve the batteries to get the same result. A lighter car, as Lotus so ably demonstrated, will be quicker and better handling and go further than its heavier brothers.
Solid-state takes far less time to charge than current batteries because of its superior charge/discharge performance. The lower costs are because solid-state can use cheaper materials like graphite and glass. So why are we not all using these wonderful things?
The technology is incredibly complex, including the tendency to form spiky lithium build-up called dendrites. These can cause short-circuiting.
Nissan sees this technology maturation to be closer to 2030 than 2025, but it is building steadily on its solid foundation of pioneering EV battery technology. It will build a pilot production line at its Yokohama plant, almost a popup factory, to develop the design and manufacturing processes needed for solid-state.
Interestingly, all the Japanese carmakers are keeping this tech development in-house, while the Europeans and Americans are using tech start-ups for this. Everybody is chasing the same result, each using a different path.
The reason this is the hot motoring quest is two-fold: cheaper EVs will open the market to a vast new pool of car buyers, and a better performing battery will bring current EV-owners flocking to your doors.
Nissan is the first carmaker to clearly lay out its timelines and the path to meet this tech challenge. Keep up with Nissan’s technology and new models by subscribing to our blog.
