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Nissan Solid-State Battery Plant Nears Production Readiness

Nissan is poised to put solid-state EV batteries into production by 2028.

Dan Carney, Senior Editor

May 7, 2024

2 Min Read
Nissan's battery assembly line.
Nissan's battery assembly line.Nissan

Solid-state EV batteries are viewed as a solution for the many shortcomings of lithium-ion batteries, but they have seemed like a mirage that remains forever on the horizon.

Nissan has put a stake in the ground, saying that it will have solid-state batteries in its cars by 2028, and to prove it the company has unveiled the plant that is building those batteries already. Toyota announced a similar schedule last year that targets 2027-2028.

Nissan revealed its all-solid-state battery pilot production line at its Yokohama Plant in Kanagawa Prefecture. This pilot line develops the necessary manufacturing technologies for the batteries for future mass production.

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Allied Market Research predicts that the global market for solid-state batteries for all applications will grow from $500 million in 2020 to $3.4 billion by 2030. Most of these are for consumer electronics applications, but EVs will also be getting some of the batteries by then.

Nissan points out that solid-state batteries have the potential to double the energy density of today’s lithium-ion batteries. They also charge much faster thanks to superior charge and discharge characteristics and they’ll help address the EV affordability problem because they use less expensive materials than lithium-ion batteries do.

The company says that it anticipates using solid-state batteries across its range of vehicle segments, even including pickup trucks.

Nissan said that the cost of solid-state batteries can be cut to just $75 per kilowatt-hour by 2028, when it starts selling cars that use the batteries. The cost will fall to $65 per kWh thereafter the company predicts. That price is important because that’s the level where Nissan says it puts EVs even in terms of cost with combustion vehicles.

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"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, Nissan’s executive vice president for research and development. “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."

The solid-state battery production announcement at Nissan's Yokohama plant is just the company's latest manufacturing news, following the announcement of EV and battery manufacturing plans at the company's Sunderland, UK plant. That plant's future was put in doubt by Brexit, but Nissan has committed to converting it to EV production.

About the Author

Dan Carney

Senior Editor, Design News

Dan’s coverage of the auto industry over three decades has taken him to the racetracks, automotive engineering centers, vehicle simulators, wind tunnels, and crash-test labs of the world.

A member of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year jury, Dan also contributes car reviews to Popular Science magazine, serves on the International Engine of the Year jury, and has judged the collegiate Formula SAE competition.

Dan is a winner of the International Motor Press Association's Ken Purdy Award for automotive writing, as well as the National Motorsports Press Association's award for magazine writing and the Washington Automotive Press Association's Golden Quill award.

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He has held a Sports Car Club of America racing license since 1991, is an SCCA National race winner, two-time SCCA Runoffs competitor in Formula F, and an Old Dominion Region Driver of the Year award winner. Co-drove a Ford Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost to 16 Federation Internationale de l’Automobile-accredited world speed records over distances from just under 1km to over 4,104km at the CERAM test circuit in Mortefontaine, France.

He was also a longtime contributor to the Society of Automotive Engineers' Automotive Engineering International magazine.

He specializes in analyzing technical developments, particularly in the areas of motorsports, efficiency, and safety.

He has been published in The New York Times, NBC News, Motor Trend, Popular Mechanics, The Washington Post, Hagerty, AutoTrader.com, Maxim, RaceCar Engineering, AutoWeek, Virginia Living, and others.

Dan has authored books on the Honda S2000 and Dodge Viper sports cars and contributed automotive content to the consumer finance book, Fight For Your Money.

He is a member and past president of the Washington Automotive Press Association and is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers

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