As early as January 2025, Honda will begin the first tests of solid state batteries for electric cars. The technology has several times been heralded as the electric car's biggest revolution.
Honda now says that the brand will start production of solid state batteries for electric cars in January 2025.
The Japanese state that a new assembly line on a trial basis at a research and development center in Japan will be able to run by then.
The factory area will be used to test both design and production methods when it comes to the battery type.
At present, Honda does not make any battery packs for electric cars itself. It is all supplied to the Japanese by American General Motors
But Honda has previously said the deal with General Motors is only a 'one-off', acting as a patchwork until the brand can build its own battery packs.
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The first cars with this kind from Honda will be the so-called 0-Series, which is expected to be launched in 2026. And here the solid state batteries are expected to play a very central role.
Solid state batteries differ from traditional lithium-ion batteries in the use of solid electrolytes, typically made of ceramic materials, instead of liquid or gel-based electrolytes.
In essence, the way to make batteries on the battery pack itself is less dependent on complex coal systems. It is also a way for car brands to get more energy out of the same physical space – what is also referred to as energy density.
Honda also emphasizes that their experience with mass production of new technologies, such as fuel cells and solar cells, is a strength in this regard.
With the ceiling on building solid state batteries almost here and now, Honda is taking up the fight that the Chinese were the first to jump into.
The question then is how long it really takes the car brands to develop the batteries for use in street cars. Nissan believes, for example, that it can only be done in 2028. Read more about it here .