Tag: EV

Dyson has been working on solid-state batteries for a while, first investing in and then acquiring in 2015 a company specializing is such technology called Sakti3. Solid-state batteries are much safer than their liquid-based counterparts, charge faster and have a higher energy density, meaning EVs could go significantly further with no change in weight. BMW, Toyota, Fisker, Google and others are pursuing this step change in battery tech, but it’s thought Dyson could be the first to market with a solid-state EV, and the main reason it was moving into this new, competitive market in the first place.

Dyson has committed over $2 billion to its EV plans, with half of that going to solid-state battery R&D. Speaking to the FT, James Dyson would only say the company has been “investing heavily in new battery technology, solid-state battery technology… but those sorts of technologies can take some time to get there.” He added that Dyson is still on track to launch an EV in 2020/21, which is slight slip from the “by 2020” window previously announced. The FT‘s sources claim the first model could rely on lithium-ion power, however, with the second and third vehicles switching to solid-state tech.

Insiders said the first car would be a beta test of sorts, used to firm up logistics, the supply chain and to gauge public interest with a production run of just a few thousand vehicles. Later models will be manufactured as mass-market products, sources said, not that Dyson would confirm any of these rumors. Currently, the company still hasn’t settled on a manufacturing base and part suppliers, so there’s plenty still to figure out. But if the FT‘s contacts are to be believed, Dyson committing to a three-vehicle roadmap means it’s serious about creating a new side to its business. If the company ends up leaning on current-gen battery tech for its initial outing, though, it could sacrifice the splash a new entrant pulling up in possibly the first solid-state EV would make.

The agreement is just a first step, but shows the increasing need for automakers and battery companies to work together. Toyota recently unveiled plans, working with Mazda and Suzuki, to launch a new lineup of EVs starting in around 2020. Until recently, the company had been focused on building hybrid, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen cars exclusively.

Panasonic is the leading EV battery manufacturer, most famously supplying batteries for Tesla’s Model S, 3 and X. It also makes the batteries for Toyota’s current plug-in hybrid Prius cars and has a 29 percent total share of the market, Reuters notes. Other leaders are LG Chem, which builds the batteries for two best-selling EVs, the Renault Zoe and Chevy Bolt, Samsung, and China’s BYD Co.

Toyota and Panasonic won’t have to deal with thorny issues like battery chemistry to make better prismatic cells, which are already used on the Bolt and other vehicles. Rather, they’ll just have to use their engineering and research chops to refine them so that they’re cheaper, safer and more reliable. The payoff could be longer-range, faster-charging and lighter or smaller EVs.

Right now, Toyota and Panasonic are just studying the feasibility of developing these types of batteries together, but there’s a decent chance this will turn into a concrete plan. Batteries are the big sticking point for EV development, so the more development, the better.