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Electric vehicles are being advertised as a replacement for internal combustion engines but still lack the range of the latter. Solid-state batteries are pegged to replace the existing Li-ion battery packs and usher in a new era for the EV industry, and recent research shows Toyota Motor is leading the pack by far with the largest number of patents.
Tokyo-based research firm Patent Result and Nikkei examined the solid-state battery patent applications submitted to the World Intellectual Property Organization and others — across ten nations and territories between 2000 and the end of March 2022.
According to the study, Toyota has increased its patent ownership by 40% between 2016 and 2020 and now has 1,331 known patents for solid-state batteries. Panasonic Holdings comes in second with 445 patents, whereas Idemitsu Kosan holds 272 patents.
All these companies are Japanese, showcasing the dominance of the country in developing solid-state batteries. Based on Nikkei’s research, Japanese firms occupied six spots of the top 10 patent holders. The same report suggests that due to the rising demand for high-end electric automobiles, passenger cars and a tiny portion of commercial vehicles will be considered for the solid-state battery upgrade earlier than other segments.
Toyota has been studying solid-state batteries since the 1990s and the business has received patent protection for a variety of innovations, including battery design, composition, and production methods. Toyota took the lead in 2020 by creating a working prototype vehicle that was powered by a solid-state battery. During the same year, Toyota and Panasonic formed a joint venture (JV) to research and develop solid-state technology.
Why Solid-state batteries?
An electric car with a solid-state battery can recharge in around 10 minutes, which would reduce the vehicle charging time by two-thirds. It can increase the vehicle’s range while keeping legroom and lowering the risk of a fire. However, the high cost is a significant barrier for solid-state batteries with some estimates quoting prices four times that of a standard lithium-ion battery.
Toyota is planning to release a hybrid car using a solid-state battery as early as 2025. However, one might wonder why the automaker is opting for a hybrid car when solid-state batteries could completely power electric vehicles.
“Lithium-ion batteries aren’t at price parity with the internal-combustion engine, let alone solid-state batteries. The thinking is to produce the benefits of such a battery, but combine it with hybrid technology to keep the price down on a production vehicle,” Gill Pratt, Toyota’s chief scientist and head of the Toyota Research Institute, said in January 2022.
Toyota Motor Corporation (Japan), Solid Power (US), QuantumScape (US), Samsung SDI (South Korea), and LG Chem (South Korea) are currently dominating the market for solid-state automotive batteries. Volkswagen (VW) has invested in Bill Gates-backed QuantumScape Corp, which plans to release its battery technology in 2024 for VW’s electric vehicles and later for other automakers. Another start-up called Solid Power claims its solid-state technology can produce 50% greater energy density than current lithium-ion batteries and has received investments from Ford Motor Co. and BMW AG.
“The global solid-state car battery market size is projected to grow from 27,070 units in 2025 to 661,724 units by 2030, at a CAGR of 89.5%”, says a report offered at Dublin-based ResearchAndMarkets.com. The same report suggests that due to the rising demand for high-end electric automobiles, passenger cars and a tiny portion of commercial vehicles will be considered for the solid-state battery upgrade earlier than other segments.
For solid-state battery-operated EVs, Asia Pacific is expected to be the largest market between 2021-2030, whereas North America will be the fastest growing region.
— Reporting by Sakshi Dahiya, edited by Sumeet Gaikwad
