In November last year, Nissan announced that it would invest more than 2 trillion yen over the next five years, launch at least 15 electric vehicles, and launch mass production applications for solid-state batteries. As part of the plan, Nissan announced a prototype of a solid-state battery manufacturing facility earlier, which is expected to be mass-produced and introduced to the market in 2028, and the facility is located in the Nissan Research Center, which will help accelerate solid-state battery research and development.
Nissan announced its medium- and long-term plan for 2030 last year, hoping to launch an electric vehicle fully equipped with solid-state batteries in 2028. If nissan wants to achieve this goal, it will need to start trial production at its Yokohama plant in 2024. The prototype of the solid-state battery manufacturing facility will study the materials, design, and process, and Nissan believes that the cost of solid-state batteries can drop to $75 per kWh by 2028 and further reach the $65 level. This will make the manufacturing cost of electric vehicles comparable to that of gasoline vehicles, bringing stronger market competitiveness
Judging from the current development trend, although there is still room for development of lithium-ion batteries, there is limited progress. With the technology to change the current situation of the industry, the most anticipated is the solid-state battery. Not only is the energy density about 2 times higher than that of lithium-ion batteries, but also because of its excellent charge and discharge performance, it can greatly shorten the charging time. In addition to this, solid-state batteries use fewer precious metals, making the cost significantly lower.
Nissan is one of the earliest brands to enter the electric vehicle market, and before the rise of Tesla, its Leaf electric vehicle also had a leading position in the market. The original factory hopes to enhance the competitiveness of its products through extensive and all-encompassing R&D activities. Based on the experience accumulated in the past, we will help accelerate the development of solid-state battery technology and achieve the goal of mass production as soon as possible, so as to make the electrification transformation smoother.