---
title: "Toyota Planning Long-Range Electric Car Powered By Solid-State Batteries, Report Says"
description: "Toyota could be the first automaker to use solid-state batteries in a production car."
date: "2017-07-25"
modified: "2017-07-25"
authors:
  - name: "Stephen Edelstein"
    job_title: "Weekend Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/stephen-edelstein"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/tech/12826/toyota-planning-long-range-electric-car-powered-by-solid-state-batteries-report-says"
categories:
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
  - "Toyota News"
tags:
  - "Electric Cars"
  - "Electric Vehicle"
  - "EV Batteries"
  - "Tech"
  - "Toyota"
---

# Toyota Planning Long-Range Electric Car Powered By Solid-State Batteries, Report Says

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2017/07/2018_toyota_chr_rcode_26_e5388ae71e25a86dd12166cfdc1c4d0c258026cb1.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Toyota will launch a long-range electric car that will be able to recharge in just a few minutes in 2022, reports [*Reuters*](<https://www.reuters.com/article/us-toyota-electric-cars-idUSKBN1AA035>), citing the Japanese newspaper *Chunichi Shimbun*.

That would mark a major turnaround for Toyota, which only recently embraced battery-electric cars. The new car's long range (a specific number wasn't quoted in either report) and remarkably quick charging time will reportedly be achieved by using solid-state batteries. These batteries use a solid electrolyte instead of the liquid used in conventional lithium-ion battery cells.

The solid electrolyte is nonflammable, and proponents of solid-state batteries have made claims of better performance. But the technology hasn't been applied to electric cars yet. General Motors invested in solid-state battery startup Sakti3 [before the company was bought by Dyson](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/8980/dyson-may-not-become-a-tesla-like-battery-giant-after-all>), which seems more interested in using the batteries for its line of cordless vacuum cleaners. Toyota could become the first automaker to use these batteries in a production car.

The new Toyota electric car will ride on an all-new platform, and will be sold only in Japan initially, according to the report. A Toyota spokeswoman would not confirm plans for the car, but told *Reuters* that the company does plan to commercialize solid-state battery technology by the early 2020s.

Toyota previously was all-in on hydrogen fuel cells, claiming battery-electric cars would never be able to meet consumer demands because of short ranges and long charging times. But the company [has had difficulty developing hydrogen fueling infrastructure](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/12800/toyota-mirai-struggles-to-get-started-on-the-east-coast>) for its Mirai, which currently sells in very small numbers.

Late last year, reports began circulating that Toyota would introduce its first mass-market electric car in 2020, and that CEO Akio Toyoda would lead the development team. Toyota previously sold small batches of electric cars to meet California's zero-emission-vehicle mandate, including the second-generation RAV4 EV, [developed with help from Tesla](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/11162/toyotas-collaboration-with-tesla-on-electric-cars-comes-to-an-end>).

An electric car powered by solid-state batteries than recharge in a few minutes would overshadow all of these efforts; it would show that Toyota is serious about electric cars, and potentially allow the Japanese automaker to leapfrog its competitors. But that assumes solid-state battery technology lives up to the hype—and as with all experimental tech, there is no guarantee of that.

## Author
Stephen has always been passionate about cars, and managed to turn that passion into a career as a freelance automotive journalist. When he's not handling weekend coverage for The Drive, you can find him looking for a new book to read.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/SAEdelstein>)