Nissan has announced it has launched a new production facility for laminated all-solid-state battery (ASSB) cells at the Nissan Research Centre in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
The aim is to build an electric vehicle that runs on all-solid-state batteries developed in-house by 2028, to help with its Ambition 2030 plan.
ASSBs are beneficial because they have twice the energy density of conventional lithium-ion batteries, shorter charging times due to superior charge/discharge performance, and lower costs because they use less expensive materials.
“All solid-state batteries can be reduced to $75 per kWh in fiscal 2028 and to $65 per kWh thereafter, placing EVs at the same cost level as gasoline-powered vehicles,” said the Japanese automaker.
Nissan wants to have a pilot production line with materials, design, and manufacturing processes in place at its Yokohama plant by 2024.
Once the facility is in full operation, Nissan expects to use ASSB’s in a range of vehicle segments, including pickup trucks.
“Nissan has been a leader in electrification technology through a wide range of R&D activities, from molecular-level battery material research to the development of safe, high-performance EVs,” said Kunio Nakaguro, executive vice president in charge of R&D. “Our initiatives even include city development using EVs as storage batteries.
“The knowledge gained from our experience supports the development of all-solid-state batteries and we’ve accumulated important elemental technologies. Going forward, our R&D and manufacturing divisions will continue to work together to utilize this prototype production facility and accelerate the practical application of all-solid-state batteries.”