Nissan is building a pilot plant for solid-state batteries

Nissan is paving the way for the next generation of electric vehicle batteries: a production facility for solid-state batteries is currently being built at its Japanese plant in Yokohama. The pilot plant currently under construction, as shown in the cover image, is intended to advance the development of high-power batteries – also through innovative manufacturing technology, according to Nissan in a recent statement.

As part of its long-term corporate vision “Nissan Ambition 2030”, the automaker wants to bring to market electric vehicles with advanced batteries by fiscal year 2028 (April 1, 2028 to March 31, 2029). Long-term plans include use in different vehicle segments to improve the competitiveness of electric vehicles.

Japan’s third-largest automaker plans to put the facility into operation in 2025 and will initially conduct prototype tests and extensive testing of solid-state batteries at a pilot plant in Yokohama before building full-scale production capacity. . Nissan confirmed to Reuters that production volume should be 100 megawatt hours per year from 2028 – assuming an 80 kWh battery size, only 1200 electric vehicles could have solid-state batteries.

An electric game changer

The industry largely agrees that so-called solid-state batteries take electric power to the next level: They have nearly twice the energy density of conventional lithium-ion batteries, meaning they weigh significantly less in the vehicle and provide better performance. payments and low costs due to cheap equipment. They are also considered to be very durable and especially safe; the risk of fire can be completely eliminated.

Nissan, like many other automakers, is doing extensive research and development into this future battery technology. Japanese models from research to battery materials at the molecular level to the development of electric vehicles and the development of cities where electric vehicles are used as V2G energy storage. The experience gained is intended to lay the foundation for practical implementation in the use of the series.

Nissan also wants to use gigacasting technology, as Tesla and Volkswagen already do, to offer large features in a single transmission. According to Reuters, the special plan is to save 20 percent in weight and ten percent in cost when producing the rear of the electric car. “We chose to use a 6000 ton Gigacasting machine to make the rear of the cars from cast aluminum.“said Hideyuki Sakamoto, Nissan’s executive vice president for manufacturing and supply chain management.

Source: Nissan – press release from April 16, 2024 / Reuters – Japan’s Nissan is betting on solid-state batteries, betting on next-generation EVs