Nissan takes step toward mass production of solid-state batteries

Nissan Motor announced on April 16 the location of a pilot line to test the mass production of solid-state batteries (=photo). Construction is underway at the company’s Yokohama Plant in Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama, Japan, where the company was founded. A constant temperature and humidity environment is currently being established, and production equipment will be installed in August, with operations scheduled to begin in March next year. 

Solid-state batteries have high capacity, are resistant to temperature changes, and can be recharged in a shorter time. It is one of the key technologies for future electric vehicles, and automakers have been rushing to develop it. 

Nissan Motor began researching materials for all-solid-state batteries in 2018. The company began trial production in 2022 and achieved a 100% good rate in trial production in FY2023. If mass production tests go smoothly, a prototype vehicle equipped with the solid-state batteries will be tested on public roads from FY2026, and the company expects to introduce a vehicle equipped with the batteries to the public by FY2028. 

Hideyuki Sakamoto, Executive Vice President of Nissan Motor, said, “Among our production bases, the Yokohama Plant has a wide range of elementary technologies. Since mass production of solid-state batteries requires a variety of technologies, we established the pilot line here. It is very impressive to be able to work on this project at the place where our company was founded”.