Toyota set to sell long-range, fast-charging electric cars in 2022

Toyota: Toyota Motor Corp aims to begin selling in 2022 an electric car powered by a new type of battery that significantly increases driving range and reduces recharging time, the Chunichi Shimbun daily reported on Tuesday.

Current electric vehicles (EVs) typically have a range of just 300-400 kilometres (185-250 miles) and need 20-30 minutes to recharge even using fast chargers. By using all-solid-state batteries, which can store more energy and can recharge more quickly than lithium ion batteries, Japan`s top automaker would be removing the two key shortcomings associated with EVs today.

The EV, to be built on an all-new platform, would be able to recharge in just a few minutes, Chunichi Shimbun said, without citing sources. Toyota has decided to sell the new model in Japan as early as in 2022, the paper said.

A Toyota spokeswoman said the company could not immediately comment on the report.

Toyota, which had long touted hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles and plug-in hybrids as the most viable low-emission alternative to conventional cars, said last year it wanted to add long-range EVs to its lineup as battery-powered cars gain traction around the globe.

Toyota is reportedly planning to begin mass-producing EVs in China, the world`s biggest auto market, as early as in 2019, although that model would be based on the existing C-HR sport utility vehicle and use lithium-ion batteries, which power most EVs today.

Other automakers such as BMW are also working on developing all-solid-state batteries, eyeing mass production in the next 10 years.

Solid-state batteries use solid electrolytes rather than liquid ones, making them safer than lithium-ion batteries currently on the market.