Toyota has announced exciting advancements in batteries for electric vehicles (EVs), which are pointing to longer battery life by as early as 2026. The breakthrough occurred on two fronts: increased optimization of lithium-ion batteries and advancements in solid-state batteries for EVs.
Findings for lithium-ion batteries will result in increased battery life and shorter charging time, common concerns among prospective EV buyers. Current EVs allow for approximately 330 miles on one charge, while the updated battery could handle up to 621 miles.
Solid-state batteries would take that even further, allowing for approximately 745 miles on one charge. Created for items like pacemakers and smartwatches, they are similar in structure to lithium-ion batteries but historically have not been durable enough to support EVs.
Toyota's new breakthrough could put EVs with solid-state batteries on the market by 2027, and they have mentioned zeroing in on a more affordable manufacturing process — leaning more on automated processing than human labor on an assembly line.
Best of all, EVs provide a long list of user benefits.
Currently, it costs about half as much to power an electric car than it does a gasoline-powered vehicle. Public charging costs are expensed by the minute — meaning that with the breakthroughs in battery life, owning an EV will become even more affordable.
On top of that, there are federal and local monetary incentives depending on where you live, and EVs require less maintenance overall.
EVs also leave a much smaller impact on the environment. Just one electric car on the road can save 1.6 tons of pollution annually, while gas-powered vehicles produce, on average, over 10,000 pounds of harmful gases per year.
In a recent Reuters article, solid-state batteries were called "the kiss of death" for gasoline-powered cars — speaking to just how convenient and wallet-friendly this new batch of EVs may be.
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