Vehicle OEM Honda aims to make solid-state lithium-ion batteries for all its new models from H2 of this year, the Japanese firm has announced.
Honda Motor’s president and representative director Toshihiro Mibe made the statement during an inaugural press conference on 23 April.
The company is also aiming to to realise a “local production and local procurement” approach in Japan, which includes strengthening its collaboration with Chinese firm CATL, for the supply of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs).
Last year, the two companies signed an agreement to conduct joint development on EV batteries and conduct joint R&D into fundamental technologies.
Mibe said during the press conference: “In order to secure the high competitiveness of our EVs of the future, Honda is conducting independent research on all-solid-state batteries as the next generation batteries which will realise high capacity and low cost.
“We will undertake the verification of production technology using a demonstration line, starting this fiscal year.
“We will begin accelerating this research, with an aim to make all-solid-state batteries available for our new models to be introduced in the second half of the 2020s.”
In North America, Honda aims to achieve an EV/FCV unit sales ratio of 20% by 2030, 80% by 2035; in China that ratio will be 40% by 2030, 80% by 2035; and in Japan the ratio will be 20% by 2030, 80% by 2035.
In all regions, the company aims to have a 100% EV/FCV unit sales ratio by 2040.
The company is also exploring “more effective ways” to reuse and recycle batteries, including research on material recycling and aiming to develop products made from 100% sustainable materials.
Last month, Honda was one of four members of The Swappable Battery Consortium for Electric Motorcycles to agree to allow battery sharing across brands.
