Fig. 2: Global market of rechargeable batteries for next-generation environment-friendly vehicles

Company Development Initiatives
Toyota Motor Corporation has announced its intention to partner with Panasonic Corporation for the development of all-solid-state batteries. The move is expected to have ripple effect to the structure of the entire industry. TDK Corporation is also advancing the development of all-solid-state batteries using multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) technologies that both companies possess. With these moves, practical application of all-solid-state batteries in the first half of the 2020s is expected.

A newly developed laminate lithium-ion battery from Hitachi, Ltd. and Tohoku University has a capacity of 100Wh. It highlights high safety level by using a new electrolyte with lithium-ion conductivity four times that of existing organic electrolytic solution, and features a high flash point and is difficult to ignite. A verification test was done to check if the battery ignites, after checking battery characteristics, including charging and discharging characteristics. The nail-piercing test, in which a nail is penetrated into the battery to forcefully cause internal short circuit, was conducted. It has been verified that the developed lithium-ion battery does not ignite, while a battery using existing organic electrolytic solution ignites.

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) has developed a rare metal-free harmless battery with low environmental load. The battery is comprised of materials, such as fertilizer components that do not have adverse effects on soil and living things. In terms of battery performance, a measurement current of 1.9mA/cm2 and voltage of 1.1V have been achieved. In order to check the effects of the battery on vegetation, NTT crushed the depleted batteries, mixed them in the soil, and evaluated their effects based on the conditions of germination of a leafy green vegetable (komatsuna). The company found that the battery does not have adverse effects on the growth of plants unlike conventional batteries. NTT aims to create new business in fields where symbiosis with nature is required.


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