Can Japan and Toyota win the solid-state battery race?

May 28, 2021 | News On Japan

May 28, 2021 (Nikkei) - In the race to produce the next generation of advanced batteries for electric vehicles, Japan Inc.'s rivals are gathering.

Toyota Motor, the world's biggest car producer in 2020, has long been considered a front-runner to produce a commercially viable solid-state battery -- which would be more stable and faster to charge than the lithium-ion batteries used today by carmakers from Tesla of the U.S. to China's BYD. Toyota plans to announce a prototype of a car powered by a solid-state battery by the end of the year, seeking to launch a vehicle in the early 2020s.

But Germany's Volkswagen, whose sales narrowly trailed Toyota's in 2020, is at its heels. This year the German carmaker increased its investment in QuantumScape, a U.S. startup aiming to produce a solid-state battery. QuantumScape -- backed by Bill Gates and with a market capitalization of almost $11 billion -- said on May 14 that it and VW would decide this year where to build a pilot line for their joint venture to produce batteries. The aim is to establish a production line by 2024, allowing VW to launch EVs with the batteries the following year.

With electric vehicles established as a key part of global efforts to reach net zero carbon emissions, other automakers are raising their bets on advanced battery technology.

Ford Motor this month added to its investment in solid-state battery startup Solid Power. BMW is also joining the U.S. carmaker in the latest $130 million funding round, as the startup plans to supply these automakers with large-format cells for vehicle testing in 2022.

Toyota Motor's BZ4X Concept electric vehicle at the Auto Shanghai show in China in April. Toyota is aiming to launch 15 EVs by 2025. © Reuters

In January, Chinese automaker Nio said its new sedan in 2022 will have solid-state batteries able to hit a 1,000-km range -- though many believe that Nio's planned battery may be half-solid and half-liquid rather than all solid-state. And South Korea's Hyundai Motor said in a conference call last month that it would mass-produce EVs powered by solid-state batteries by 2030.

Martinelli Breaks Japan Hearts as Brazil Win 2-1 in World Cup Thriller

Japan’s World Cup campaign ended in the cruelest possible fashion on June 29, as Gabriel Martinelli scored in the fifth minute of stoppage time to give Brazil a 2-1 victory over the Samurai Blue in their knockout match in Houston. Japan had led in the first half and were still level at 1-1 in the final moments, but Martinelli’s late strike sent Brazil into the Round of 16 and eliminated Japan from the tournament.

Strong Quakes Strike Japan 11 Times Since April

Strong earthquakes have continued to shake parts of Japan in recent weeks, with 11 temblors measuring lower 5 or above on the Japanese seismic intensity scale recorded across the country since April 2026.

First Train of the Day Derails at Kintetsu Kyoto Station

A Kintetsu Railway train derailed inside Kyoto Station on the morning of June 29, forcing partial suspensions on the Kintetsu Kyoto Line for the rest of the day and causing long delays that hit commuters, students and tourists.

Hikone Castle Stone Wall Collapses After Typhoon Deluge

A section of stone wall at Hikone Castle, one of Japan’s few surviving original Edo-period castles and a National Treasure whose main keep remains intact more than 400 years after its construction, collapsed after heavy rain caused by Typhoons No. 7 and No. 8, Hikone city officials said.

Japan Books Spot in World Cup Knockout Stage After Sweden Draw

Japan advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup after a 1-1 draw with Sweden on June 25, finishing second in Group F and setting up a Round of 32 clash with Brazil in Houston.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Yakuza Boss Denies Killing Gyoza President

Prosecutors sought life imprisonment for Yukio Tanaka, a senior member of a gang affiliated with the Kudo-kai crime syndicate, as his trial over the 2013 fatal shooting of Osho Food Service president Takayuki Ohigashi concluded at the Kyoto District Court, with a verdict scheduled to be handed down on October 16.

Police Set Up Kabukicho Council To Protect Toyoko Kids

Shinjuku Ward, the Tokyo metropolitan government and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department have jointly established a Kabukicho measures council to strengthen efforts to prevent young people known as "Toyoko Kids" from being drawn into crime in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district.

Chinese Man Arrested After Speeding Porsche Hits Two Cars In Tokyo

A 23-year-old Chinese man has been arrested and sent to prosecutors on suspicion of dangerous driving resulting in injury after allegedly crashing a Porsche into two vehicles at an intersection in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward on June 9, leaving three people with minor injuries.

17,345 People With Dementia Go Missing in Japan Last Year

The number of people with dementia or suspected dementia who were reported missing to police totaled 17,345 in 2025, down by nearly 800 from the previous year but still at a high level, according to a National Police Agency summary.

Mystery 300-Ton Giant Hose Removal Begins Six Months After Washing Ashore

Removal work has finally begun on a massive hose that washed ashore on the coast of Shika, Ishikawa Prefecture, six months ago, but crews are already facing difficulties because the structure is filled with a large volume of water.

Ex-Wife Arrested After Leaving Husband’s Body in Freezer for 14 Years

A 50-year-old woman has been arrested in Kobe on suspicion of abandoning the dismembered body of her former husband in a large freezer at a condominium unit, where she allegedly continued paying rent for more than 14 years while hiding his death.

Wanted Yakuza Arrested in 2017 Kobe Gangland Killing

A 50-year-old member of an organization affiliated with the Yamaguchi-gumi crime syndicate has been arrested in Yamaguchi Prefecture after nearly nine years on the run over the 2017 fatal shooting of a bodyguard for the leader of a rival group in Kobe.

Iranian Man Busted Smuggling 40kg Stimulants in Naan Machine

An Iranian national has been arrested on suspicion of attempting to smuggle more than 40 kilograms of stimulants from the United Arab Emirates into Japan in March, after customs officers found the drugs hidden in the bottom section of a machine used in the process of making naan bread.

< 2 3 4 5 >