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Nakajima said the first wave of solid-state batteries – which Toyota is developing in conjunction with oil giant Idemitsu – would be very expensive and their use in cars would initially be limited to a “high-performance car” or a car with “high-performance charging”.
In the meantime, Toyota will introduce its latest lithium ion battery technology with its next generation of electric cars built on a new highly modular architecture from 2026.
Nakajima said this had been created with an ethos of downsizing components such as the e-axles, HVAC system and battery packs (which have been made as slim as 100mm) as much as possible to allow them to fit into a much broader types of car, including lower Lexus saloons and Toyota sports cars.
One such sports car concept using the new architecture is the Toyota FT-Se revealed in Tokyo.
“As much as possible, we want to realise a fun-to-drive image,” said Nakajima.
The firm’s imitation manual transmission will become a staple offering of fun EVs, said Nakajima, who said that such cars should “not just be high-torque, high-power; the goal is how we can provide that fun-to-drive image”.
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