The world's largest automaker by volume, which pioneered hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles with the popular Prius, is now moving rapidly to deliver its first all-electric line-up next year. The company is also the front runner to mass produce solid-state batteries - a potential game changer for automakers because they are more energy dense, charge faster and are less prone to catching fire. While it was still struggling with the short service life of these cells, Maeda said there was no change in Toyota's target to begin manufacturing solid-state batteries by the mid 2020s. Efforts to mass produce solid-state batteries have stumbled as they are expensive to fabricate and are prone to crack when they expand and contract during use. Toyota also plans to use solid-state batteries in hybrid electric vehicles such as the Prius, it said.

Source: Dhaka Tribune September 07, 2021 10:41 UTC