General EV Conversation
Pole Position
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 3,231
Likes: 185
From: New York
Is this new news or something you all know about?
https://insideevs.com/news/775251/to...hode-sumimoto/
Toyota Just Struck A Key Deal To Make Solid-State Batteries
The Japanese automaker wants to be among the first to bring solid-state tech to market, but it will take at least two more years.
Toyota has priority to receive the all-important cathode material for solid-state batteries from a supplier starting in 2028.
Toyota has been developing its own solid-state batteries for many years, and it plans to sell its first EVs equipped with the technology in 2027 or 2028. A new deal announced on Wednesday should help things along: The automaker and Sumimoto Metal Mining have struck a joint development agreement to mass-produce cathode materials for solid-state batteries.
The metals company plans to start pumping out the cathode material at scale as early as the financial year starting in April 2028, a company spokesperson told Reuters.
"We will prioritize supplying Toyota, then respond flexibly to market demand," they said.
But will this new “highly durable cathode material,” which can supposedly withstand many more charge-discharge cycles than what’s in today’s batteries with far less degradation, give Toyota the edge? Toyota is known as a leader in the number of solid-state patents that it holds, and it is expected to be among the first companies to roll out this technology.
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Interestingly, older reports suggested that the first production Toyota to get solid-state batteries isn’t going to be a full EV but a hybrid instead. This could make Toyota’s already popular hybrids even better and more competitive. And if the cost of solid-state batteries would still be too high for use in a large EV battery pack, using them in hybrids first sounds like a sensible first step.
Another key component for solid-state batteries is the solid electrolyte, lithium sulphide, which will come from another Japanese company, Idemitsu Kosan, one of the country’s largest oil refiners. This electrolyte also plays an important role in giving the battery all its superior properties.
But Toyota may not be the first to launch a solid-state production car. Mercedes and BMW are already testing prototypes on public roads, while Nio already offers what it calls a semi-solid-state battery in its ET5 and ET7 models in China. You can’t buy it from Nio—it supposedly costs as much as an ET5 on its own—but you can have it swapped into your vehicle if you’re planning on going on a long road trip where its claimed range of over 650 miles will come in handy.
There are several other semi-solid-state batteries available on Chinese cars, although they can’t match Nio’s remarkable 360 watt hours per kilogram energy density. The BMW i7 solid-state prototype has an even higher energy density of 390 Wh/kg, but it’s purely a test vehicle that won’t be going into production with those specs anytime soon.
Toyota also has competition from Honda to bring solid-state tech to market. Its Japanese rival said in 2024 that it was working on solid-state cells that are 50% smaller, 35% lighter and 25% cheaper than today’s lithium-ion batteries, but it hasn’t provided a clear time frame for when they could go into production.
At the same time, more conventional lithium-ion batteries have been improving consistently. Once Toyota or another manufacturer actually starts putting solid-state batteries in cars, we'll have a better sense of whether this tech is the moonshot it was cracked up to be.
The Japanese automaker wants to be among the first to bring solid-state tech to market, but it will take at least two more years.
Toyota has priority to receive the all-important cathode material for solid-state batteries from a supplier starting in 2028.
- It already has a deal with another company for the solid electrolyte, the other key component for a solid-state battery.
- Toyota says its first solid-state-powered EVs could hit the market as early as 2027.
Toyota has been developing its own solid-state batteries for many years, and it plans to sell its first EVs equipped with the technology in 2027 or 2028. A new deal announced on Wednesday should help things along: The automaker and Sumimoto Metal Mining have struck a joint development agreement to mass-produce cathode materials for solid-state batteries.
The metals company plans to start pumping out the cathode material at scale as early as the financial year starting in April 2028, a company spokesperson told Reuters.
"We will prioritize supplying Toyota, then respond flexibly to market demand," they said.
But will this new “highly durable cathode material,” which can supposedly withstand many more charge-discharge cycles than what’s in today’s batteries with far less degradation, give Toyota the edge? Toyota is known as a leader in the number of solid-state patents that it holds, and it is expected to be among the first companies to roll out this technology.
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
Interestingly, older reports suggested that the first production Toyota to get solid-state batteries isn’t going to be a full EV but a hybrid instead. This could make Toyota’s already popular hybrids even better and more competitive. And if the cost of solid-state batteries would still be too high for use in a large EV battery pack, using them in hybrids first sounds like a sensible first step.
Another key component for solid-state batteries is the solid electrolyte, lithium sulphide, which will come from another Japanese company, Idemitsu Kosan, one of the country’s largest oil refiners. This electrolyte also plays an important role in giving the battery all its superior properties.
But Toyota may not be the first to launch a solid-state production car. Mercedes and BMW are already testing prototypes on public roads, while Nio already offers what it calls a semi-solid-state battery in its ET5 and ET7 models in China. You can’t buy it from Nio—it supposedly costs as much as an ET5 on its own—but you can have it swapped into your vehicle if you’re planning on going on a long road trip where its claimed range of over 650 miles will come in handy.
There are several other semi-solid-state batteries available on Chinese cars, although they can’t match Nio’s remarkable 360 watt hours per kilogram energy density. The BMW i7 solid-state prototype has an even higher energy density of 390 Wh/kg, but it’s purely a test vehicle that won’t be going into production with those specs anytime soon.
Toyota also has competition from Honda to bring solid-state tech to market. Its Japanese rival said in 2024 that it was working on solid-state cells that are 50% smaller, 35% lighter and 25% cheaper than today’s lithium-ion batteries, but it hasn’t provided a clear time frame for when they could go into production.
At the same time, more conventional lithium-ion batteries have been improving consistently. Once Toyota or another manufacturer actually starts putting solid-state batteries in cars, we'll have a better sense of whether this tech is the moonshot it was cracked up to be.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 19,433
Likes: 3,660
From: California
Is this new news or something you all know about?
https://insideevs.com/news/775251/to...hode-sumimoto/
https://insideevs.com/news/775251/to...hode-sumimoto/
great video on using a tesla for a day with only the apple watch. no key, no phone.
https://youtu.be/nTKkISHhaKk?si=Gf4K_Cl0FmgKbMYN
https://youtu.be/nTKkISHhaKk?si=Gf4K_Cl0FmgKbMYN
i saw online someone said you might have to ‘quit’ the tesla app on the watch and restart it and that seems to be it. i guess it’s buggy?
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 35,276
Likes: 305
From: ON/NY
so i kept finding that the watch alone would NOT unlock the car and couldn’t figure out if it was the car or the watch or both, etc.
i saw online someone said you might have to ‘quit’ the tesla app on the watch and restart it and that seems to be it. i guess it’s buggy?
i saw online someone said you might have to ‘quit’ the tesla app on the watch and restart it and that seems to be it. i guess it’s buggy?
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 35,276
Likes: 305
From: ON/NY
Is this new news or something you all know about?
https://insideevs.com/news/775251/to...hode-sumimoto/
https://insideevs.com/news/775251/to...hode-sumimoto/
as i wrote, when it didn’t work i restarted the app on the watch and it worked.
just tried it this morning though and it worked fine. no key, no phone, nothing else needed to use the car except the watch!
and you don’t have to do anything to unlock or lock the car, or ‘start’ it, etc. just get in and go. get out and leave. how it should be.
just tried it this morning though and it worked fine. no key, no phone, nothing else needed to use the car except the watch!
and you don’t have to do anything to unlock or lock the car, or ‘start’ it, etc. just get in and go. get out and leave. how it should be.
Last edited by bitkahuna; Oct 11, 2025 at 07:34 AM.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 35,276
Likes: 305
From: ON/NY
no key, no phone, nothing else needed to use the car except the watch!
Last edited by Toys4RJill; Oct 11, 2025 at 07:56 AM.
Lead Lap
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 3,872
Likes: 1,475
From: San Diego, CA
Phone / watch as a key (or smart card as a key) generally does not require cellular service as the key uses Bluetooth LE or RFID for smartcards. RFID doesn't require any power but it has a very limited range. Bluetooth LE has a reasonable range.
So yes, there may be edge cases where your watch and phone are out power and you would need another way to access the car.
But at the risk of pointing out the blindingly obvious, you could also lose your physical keys. Does that mean physical keys are not "ready for real world use"?
As an aside, if I were to rely on my phone for my truck and I lost the phone or it ran out of power, I can access my truck using a keypad and I can start and drive the car using a PIN/password. My truck doesn't require any kind of key if you have the keypad and have set up the PIN/password.
So yes, there may be edge cases where your watch and phone are out power and you would need another way to access the car.
But at the risk of pointing out the blindingly obvious, you could also lose your physical keys. Does that mean physical keys are not "ready for real world use"?
As an aside, if I were to rely on my phone for my truck and I lost the phone or it ran out of power, I can access my truck using a keypad and I can start and drive the car using a PIN/password. My truck doesn't require any kind of key if you have the keypad and have set up the PIN/password.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 11,057
Likes: 1,538
From: FL
Everyone please be careful.
My dad has his phone pick pocketed while standing in line at Walmart last year!
That would suck bad if his phone was his car key too.
He wears cargo shorts with big pockets and yep they swiped it.
Phone was later recovered by the police in another county an hour away when the mother of the thief turned it over to their church and then they gave it to the police.
My dad has his phone pick pocketed while standing in line at Walmart last year!
That would suck bad if his phone was his car key too.
He wears cargo shorts with big pockets and yep they swiped it.
Phone was later recovered by the police in another county an hour away when the mother of the thief turned it over to their church and then they gave it to the police.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 67,904
Likes: 3,834
From: Maryland
Somebody could have also pickpocketed his keys. If your phone is stolen you can always just brick it remotely.
In fact having your key stolen is much worse because they can just push the button and find your car. With the phone they would have to go up to every car in the lot and find it.
In fact having your key stolen is much worse because they can just push the button and find your car. With the phone they would have to go up to every car in the lot and find it.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 11,057
Likes: 1,538
From: FL
Somebody could have also pickpocketed his keys. If your phone is stolen you can always just brick it remotely.
In fact having your key stolen is much worse because they can just push the button and find your car. With the phone they would have to go up to every car in the lot and find it.
In fact having your key stolen is much worse because they can just push the button and find your car. With the phone they would have to go up to every car in the lot and find it.
All I was saying is please protect your phone.
People steal them with intent of making quick cash.
The thief didn't want the keys, he wanted my dads Iphone.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 35,276
Likes: 305
From: ON/NY