Overview
- Toyota and Sumitomo Metal Mining signed a joint development agreement to mass-produce a highly durable cathode, with Sumitomo prioritizing Toyota and targeting scale from the financial year starting April 2028.
- Toyota maintains a 2027–2028 timeline for its first vehicles using all-solid-state batteries, with earlier reports indicating hybrids could be initial recipients depending on cost.
- Idemitsu Kosan, Toyota’s longtime electrolyte partner, plans mass production of lithium sulfide from 2027 via a new plant sized for 1,000 metric tons annually.
- Chinese Academy of Sciences researchers reported in Nature Sustainability a self-healing solid-state interface that fills microscopic gaps and removes the need for heavy external pressure near 5 MPa, with lab cells holding steady over hundreds of cycles.
- University of Maryland expert Chunsheng Wang called the interface a decisive step toward practical use as rivals like BMW, Mercedes, Honda, Stellantis, and Nio pursue competing solid-state or semi-solid approaches that still require validation and cost reductions.