(Invited) Rechargeable Solid State Batteries: Development and Advances for Automotive Applications

Lithium ion batteries have been marked by steady progress over the past few decades owing to their high volumetric and gravimetric energy storage densities. The advent of LIBs resulted in the consistent shift of automotive industry towards hybrid EV's and BEV's. The Nissan Leaf, introduced in Japan and the United States in December 2010, became the first modern all-electric, zero tailpipe emission five door family hatchback to be produced for the mass market from a major manufacturer. Newer models targeted at different customer segments are under development at Nissan and there has been need for more efficient, cost effective and safer LIBs to cater to the needs of the commute. More recently, efforts at Nissan have been diverted towards solid state batteries owing to their ability of surpassing the traditional liquid electrolyte based battery due to higher energy / power densities as well as safety. As a part of Nissan Ambition 2030, research is heavily focused towards development of ASSBs both in terms of chemistry as well as manufacturing technologies. The presentation showcases the efforts of Nissan towards the path of automotive electrification and progress in material, electrode and cell level technologies based on lithium ion batteries and solid state batteries.