Japan keeps lead in solid-state battery development

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From ESS News

While lithium-ion batteries continue to improve in terms of both performance and cost, interest in solid-state batteries, which promise better energy density and safety, has not waned.

Geographically, solid state battery innovation is concentrated in a limited number of countries. According to Taipei-based intelligence provider TrendForce, China and South Korea were tailgating in commercialization behind Japan’s subsidy of over $660 million for all-solid-state batteries in 2024.

In the 2024 Battery Industry Strategy, Japan set a target of commercializing all-solid-state batteries (ASSB) by around 2030. By the end of last year, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) approved a total of four major R&D projects on ASSB materials and production, including that of Toyota, Idemitsu, Mitsui Kinzoku, and TK Works.

Japan, once the forerunner in lithium-ion battery development, now hopes to regain its market dominance in the field of next-gen battery tech. According to TrendForce, Japan once accounted for more than 90% of the global lithium-ion market share. By 2015, this figure shrank to 50% and plummeted to less than 6% today as a consequence of the rapid expansion of Chinese and South Korean counterparts.

Today, Japan possesses the most ASSB-related patents in the world and has been steadily establishing a supply chain over recent years in the hope of realizing mass production. Car makers have been leading the charge with Toyota Motors claiming more than 1,000 solid-state battery patents and readying to mass-produce solid-state batteries by 2027 or 2028. Nissan and Honda have previously revealed plans to establish solid-state battery manufacturing lines in-house.

In the meantime, China, South Korea, Europe, and the US have also been engaged in active development of this new technology leading to expectations that the global production volumes could reach GWh levels by 2027.

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