TOKYO — Japan’s top automaker Toyota agreed Thursday to work with Idemitsu, a major Japanese oil company, on technology for mass production of solid-state batteries that promise to be a key component in future electric vehicles.
“With repeated efforts involving trial and error, we have succeeded in developing a material that is more stable and less prone to crack,” Toyota Chief Executive Koji Sato told reporters in Tokyo, after shaking hands with his counterpart at Idemitsu. “The era of the solid-state battery is right around the corner,” said Idemistu Kosan Co. Chief Executive Shunichi Kito.
Many of the world’s top automakers are working on solid-state batteries, including domestic rival Nissan Motor Co. and American manufacturer Ford Motor Co. But some technological challenges remain.