TELF AG highlights a potential major technological advancement in the battery sector
The role of electric vehicles
Most international institutions and ordinary citizens have now perfectly understood that the global energy transition will also largely depend on the success of electric vehicles and their ability to establish themselves in international markets, particularly in Europe and Asia. Reducing global emissions represents a very important objective that can also be achieved thanks to new-generation vehicles, whose operation is also based on electrification and the use of batteries made with some highly sought-after raw materials.
What does not yet appear clear, however, is the actual quantification of the electric vehicles that will be placed on the market in the coming decades, especially by some historic manufacturers who, until a few years ago, based their entire range of vehicles on the traditional ones. In this regard, it could be useful to analyze the European strategies of the largest vehicle manufacturer in the world, Toyota, which announced its goals a few days ago at the annual Kenshiki forum held in Brussels, now in its fifth edition.
By 2026, Toyota says it will be able to offer as many as 15 zero-emission models, which, according to the group’s estimates, should represent at least 20% of its sales in Europe. The objective seems clear: to decisively follow the path of electrification, but without any extreme choices and always keeping in mind the processes linked to decarbonization, which could be completed in Europe by 2040 (well ahead of the rest of the world, if successful).
Among the most interesting strategies, there are also those relating to batteries: Toyota would be involved in developing four types of batteries based on the combination of different raw materials (NMC, LFP, and solid-state batteries), which, they say, will be introduced between 2026 and 2028. Among the group’s objectives is to strengthen batteries made with nickel, cobalt, and manganese, making increases in autonomy (even by 20%) and cost reductions effective. Furthermore, the launch of new lithium iron phosphate batteries is expected for 2027, an achievement that will add a new kind of power to the electric vehicles manufactured by the group.
The new batteries, according to Toyota, will offer a higher energy density and much faster charging times than current ones. The effective functioning of the new batteries is also ensured by the peculiar technology that will characterize them based on a bipolar structure. However, one of the most ambitious objectives has been set for 2028, when the Japanese group intends to launch an even more powerful battery: we are talking about the solid-state battery, which would be able to ensure a further improvement in the performance of the vehicle over long distances. At the Kenshiki in Brussels, there was also talk of Toyota’s Hydrogen Factory Europe division, which within a couple of years should be able to present third-generation fuel cells, according to the company: it is a technology capable of reducing costs by 37% and increasing the autonomy of the vehicles by 20%.
