Nissan will launch its first solid-state electric vehicle in 2028. Written by Daniel and read to you by Cassidy. Subscribe to Electric Vehicle News Bitesize Podcast for FREE to hear more!
The company is “class-leading” in launching cost-effective liquid-free batteries with a 2025 production facility.
Nissan is eager to launch electric vehicles with solid-state batteries, saying it has a “leading edge” in technology.
The Japanese company, which first launched a mass-market electric vehicle, the Nissan Leaf in 2010, plans to have a pilot solid-state battery production plant up and running by 2025. Complete initial technology engineering by 2026; mass production only in 2028 for first automotive application.
David Moss, Nissan’s senior vice-president for research and development in Europe, said: “We think we have something quite special and are in a group leading the technology. We want to get the cost down compared with lithium ion batteries by 50%, to double the energy density and to offer three times the charging speed.”
At the current stage of development in Japan, Nissan has transitioned from small button cells to larger (10cm) prismatic cells, Moss said. The final battery reaches the size of a laptop.
He added that Nissan is working with top scientists at Oxford University to develop the technology, and that Nissan’s solid-state technology is “all-solid-state” because it removes all liquid elements from the battery.
“Can you delete the liquid electrolyte out of the battery? This is where we think we’re leading,” said Moss. “Some solid-state batteries still have the liquid electrolytes, and this is an issue, as that liquid boils. The efficiency of that energy in storage and transfer and the power you put into it will be impacted.”
Moss said solid-state tech “opens up electric mobility to sectors that you can’t today”, such as the largest pick-up trucks and SUVs.
There’s no indication of which models the technology will roll out to in 2028, but it will have to be based on an entirely new architecture, and likely built in a new factory, as it affects nearly every element of car development and manufacturing.
Nissan previously showed off three forward-looking concept vehicles (Max-Out, Surf-Out and Hang-Out), hinting at different market segments that will benefit from its next-generation Electric Vehicle hardware.
“When you commit to something like solid-state, you have to change the whole mechanism and architecture of the vehicle,” said Moss. The tech is being developed separately from any vehicle project to ensure that it is not introduced prematurely or does not cause any specific project to be delayed.
Charging speed will be key to reducing costs, as faster, more stable and more consistent charging in turn means smaller batteries can be fitted into vehicles.
“If you can put in energy three times faster, is it any different to filling a petrol vehicle?” said Moss. “We don’t know yet about battery size, but we might have two sizes of battery – one for really heavy users who need massive range, but if you can put energy in like petrol, do you need the size?”
In Nissan’s case, tripling the charging speed would increase it from about 130kW to 400kW, but charging would be more even at those speeds rather than accelerating and decelerating based on temperature.
“That’s what the solid-state cells can do,” said Moss when asked about 400kW charging speeds. “They can accept it. The liquid cells of today can’t.”
Moss added that Nissan remains committed to developing lithium-ion battery technology, confirming that there will be at least two more generations — one in the next few years and then a cobalt-free battery in 2028, which is already in an advanced research stage to reduce cost by as much as 65%.
“Lithium ion is constantly changing, with better energy density, better efficiency and lower cost,” said Moss. “The cost is key, as this opens up EVs to even more customers. We believe there are a couple of steps left in lithium ion. A big drive for us is to go cobalt-free. We expect this to be on the market in 2028.”
According to Moss, it is important to continue advancing lithium-ion battery technology because it will continue to coexist with solid-state technology for some time.
“We’ve had four changes since the original Leaf,” he added, recalling that the first battery make-up developed for the car never actually made it to production, because the tech advanced so quickly between its unveiling and market launch.
“Batteries will continue to evolve,” continued Moss. “We will continue to research battery technology as it moves so quickly. What we do today and plan today won’t be the same as in a few years.” Nissan has committed €15.6 billion (£13.8bn) to Electric Vehicle development over the next five years, on top of the €7.8bn (£6.9bn) it has spent so far.
Nissan to stop investing in pure-combustion engines.
Nissan Europe’s senior vice president of research and development confirmed that Nissan will not invest in pure Euro 7 internal combustion engine technology.
David Moss told Autocar he believed a crossover point between the prices of Euro 7 engines and lithium ion batteries for EVs was near. “From a mass-production point of view, Electric Vehicle is coming down, EU7 is driving petrol the other way,” he said. “So one cost goes up, the other goes down, and we’re not that far away from where they will cross in cost.”
The news comes after EU law makers published a list of rules to make ICE and hybrid cars “as clean as possible” before they are banned from sale next decade. Due from July 2025, these include new electrically heated e-catalysts to mitigate cold-start emissions and live on-board monitoring of key pollutants.
Please give Electric Vehicle News Bitesize Podcast a 5 Star Review to help us grow our audience.
Subscribe to the Electric Vehicle News Bitesize Podcast for FREE on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Deezer, Breaker, Castbox, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Stitcher, Amazon Music, Audible, Gaana, Samsung Podcasts, Google News and the Electric Vehicle News Bitesize Alexa Skill.
For more Articles and Episodes search Electric Vehicle News Roundup.
