Category Archives: Economics

Mega wind turbine

Economics, Environment, Science

World’s Largest Wind Turbine

Mega wind turbine with blades twice the size of a football pitch switched on for first time

Harry Fletcher

Aug 01, 2023

undefined

16 MW offshore wind turbine begins operations off east China coast 

In the week that it was announced that Rishi Sunak will be granting new oil and gas licenses in the North Sea, new commitments to renewable energy are being made elsewhere in the world.

The China Three Gorges Corporation just turned on a mega wind turbine with blades twice the size of a football pitch in the Taiwan Strait. The state-owned energy firm has activated the biggest wind turbine on the planet offshore in a move that could produce up to 16 megawatts of energy, and it’s now been connected and hooked up to the energy grid

Honda vs. Toyota

Economics, Environment, Science

Honda vs. Toyota

How Honda Is Competing With Toyota’s 745-mile SSB In The Race To Perfect Solid-State Batteries

Story by Noah Staats •3d

  • Honda believes that current lithium-ion battery technology is not a sustainable long-term solution and is investing in solid-state batteries to overcome its challenges.
  • Honda has developed unique ideas, such as using polymer fabric, to combat dendrite formation in solid-state batteries, demonstrating its innovation and commitment to improving EV technology.
  • Honda aims to mass produce solid-state batteries and release EVs using this technology by the latter half of the decade, competing with Toyota’s plans in the solid-state battery market.

The race to perfect solid-state batteries has taken center stage in the rapidly evolving landscape of electric vehicles (EVs). Honda and Toyota, two automotive giants known for innovation and reliability, are leading the charge with their distinctive approaches to this game-changing technology.

Honda has recently ventured into the solid-state battery realm, boldly stating that the current battery technology is not a sustainable long-term solution. Critiques of lithium-ion batteries include their weight, dependence on rare earth minerals, rapid degradation, and environmental impact. Honda is banking on solid-state batteries to overcome these challenges. In a recent interview with TheDrive, Dave Gardner, Honda’s Vice President of Business and Sales, emphasized their conviction that lithium-ion technology falls short of meeting future needs.

Solid-state batteries, the object of Honda’s pursuit, offer the promise of reduced size, weight, and material usage, along with heightened energy density, rapid charging capabilities, and extended lifespan. To advance this endeavor, Honda invested a significant $310 million in a cutting-edge solid-state battery production line dedicated to testing the technology and its manufacturing process. However, Toyota unveiled a breakthrough that could lead to solid-state batteries capable of an astounding 745 miles on a single charge, with aspirations to push that figure to a remarkable 900 miles. This advancement hinges on the development of solid-state batteries.

Related: What Nobody Is Telling You About Solid-State Batteries

How Honda Plans To Beat Toyota At Its Own Game

Of course, it’s no surprise that every automaker is after the newest, most powerful EV tech. However, in recent years, it’s been widely reported that Toyota is focusing heavily on solid-state batteries for future releases, as well as extended ranges for its cars that could shift the needle in its direction from a consumer standpoint. Honda, another dominating force in the industry, has noticed Toyota going full-send into solid-state batteries and has been making strides to beat them at their own game.

Specifically, Honda announced an investment of $310 million in a cutting-edge solid-state battery production line dedicated to testing the technology and its manufacturing process. This new testing site for solid-state technology will begin the dawn of those types of battery packs being added to future electric Honda vehicles. It’s also worth noting that unlike Toyota (publicly), Honda figured out a way to combat one of the solid-state batteries’ largest oppositions: dendrites.

Dendrites essentially form on solid-state batteries after continued use and charging, leading to them degrading faster than we’d like. Because solid-state batteries rely on solid-not-liquid internal components, dendrites can prove catastrophic for their lifespan and safety. However, through design altering, Honda devised an idea to use polymer fabric between the electrolyte and the positive/negative electrodes: ultimately stopping dendrite formation.

That is only one of the unique ideas the brand has added to this relatively new EV technology, so we’re impressed with the Japanese carmaker as of now.

Related: 10 Things To Know About Toyota’s 745-mile Solid-state Battery

Honda, Although Late To The Party, Could End Up Changing The Game

Although Honda has faced criticism for its lackluster EV development and marketing, the company might have been staying quiet for a good reason. After all, Honda could be on the brink of something record-breaking with their recent investments in solid-state batteries and factories to build new super-power EVs. Of course, Toyota, on the other hand, has been a dominating force within the hybrid space for many years, with its iconic Prius making the way we see ‘eco-friendly driving’ more mainstream and affordable.

Toyota’s vision of achieving nearly 900 miles of range and 10-minute charging could reshape consumer expectations, which Honda must get ahead of. We’re seeing the shift from fuel to electricity in massive numbers, which causes intense competition from all sides of the aisle. Honda isn’t seen as a dominating force within the electric sector, while Toyota has boasted significant improvements in its tech and sales over the past five years.

What Honda is doing by perfecting solid-state batteries could shift the public’s opinion and even attract potential collaborators from within the auto industry. What’s also very interesting is that Toyota has partnered with various battery providers in its solid-state research, while Honda remains independent. According to a press release from the company, Honda claims its research is self-funded and self-done: something that could be an advantage.

Honda Could Be A Sleeping Giant Within The Solid-State Market

  • Honda continues to quietly develop its batteries, with hopes to mass produce them by 2025-2030.
  • Even brands like Tesla have been slow to embrace this type of EV manufacturing.

Interestingly enough, reading through Honda’s various press releases and tidbits regarding solid-state batteries, we immediately notice the brands’ apparent goal of manufacturing these battery packs at a mass scale. Since this has never been done before, Honda has its eyes on something much larger than a new EV fleet: instead, a systematic change in how they are created. You’d think this would be Tesla pioneering solid-state battery technology (they’re lukewarm on the concept), but Honda has decided to step in and take charge.

Although doing the same thing, Toyota hasn’t been as abrupt in its plans to bring these batteries to market on a mass, global scale. However, that’s not to assume they can’t or won’t try it. After all, we’re sure Honda and Toyota reps keep close tabs on what the other says in press releases or public/private statements. Considering Toyota has its sights on a 2027 solid-state battery rollout, Honda appears to be aiming for something similarly timed. That said, there aren’t many vehicles considering this; nonetheless, entire brands, such as Toyota and Honda, may want to join forces to make a splash.

Toyota has teamed up with battery company Panasonic, which could be a blow to Honda’s efforts in getting these batteries out at large scale before the end of the decade. Furthermore, a Toyota press release states that the company has been working on solid-state tech since 2012, filing 1,000 solid-state battery patents.

Honda Could Add Solid-State Batteries To Its Cars By 2030

  • Toyota and Honda plan to release EVs using solid-state batteries by the latter half of this decade.

One thing to be aware of is that Honda isn’t blowing smoke into the air but rather actively planning a solid-state fleet of super EVs. Reportedly, the company has a goal to get these vehicles to customers before the end of the 2020s, dramatically changing the landscape of electric vehicles and manufacturing. Because of bumps in the road while creating and perfecting this battery technology, Honda has continued its vision and adapted quickly to adversity.

In the second half of this decade (2025-2030), Honda *ideally* wants these cars to be on the roads. They’d likely launch in North America and Asia first, then send these off everywhere else willing to sell them. After all, when a brand goes all-in: they want a massive return on investment. This is no different for Honda, Toyota, or anyone else adapting to solid-state tech, so it will certainly be interesting to see quarterly production and income reports come 2025.

It could also be in Honda’s best interest to figure out a proprietary method of constructing its solid-state battery packs to compete with Toyota’s endless list of patents. The company hasn’t been very patent-heavy thus far, but who knows: it could all be strategic.

With The 745-mile Solid-state Battery, Toyota Just Became A Force To Reckon With

Economics, Education, Environment, Science

With The 745-mile Solid-state Battery, Toyota Just Became A Force To Reckon With

Story by James O’Neil •

This may sound like an Ad for Toyota. Please do not take it that way. Many auto manufacturers are going in this direction and there will be an update on Honda soon.

  • Toyota has been secretly developing a solid-state battery for EVs with a range of 745 miles and a charge time of 10 minutes, which could revolutionize the industry.
  • The battery will provide EVs with the same driving range as traditional vehicles, eliminating the need for frequent charging stops during long trips.
  • While Toyota has been a proponent of hydrogen cars, this breakthrough in EV batteries suggests a shift in the company’s approach to the post-ICE future.

Perhaps we’ve gotten too accustomed to the tech-bro approach to corporate PR, in which companies loudly trumpet every half-baked idea that may or may not fizzle into anticlimactic failure. Today, a company waiting until a concept is totally finished and ready for deployment seems almost quaint. While Toyota has hitherto seemed staunchly opposed to EVs, its research and development department has been developing what may be the biggest breakthrough in EV batteries away from the prying eyes of publicists: a solid-state car battery with a range of 745 miles and a charge time of ten minutes. (For those who prefer metric, that’s a range of 1200 kilometers and a charge time of six hectoseconds.)

For the first time in the history of mass-production EVs, a battery-powered car will have the same driving range as one with an engine and a gas tank. Anyone listening carefully will hear EV-driving dads breathe a sigh of relief as they contemplate how they won’t need to pull over and pry their children away from convenience store candy shelves every two hours while they wait for the car to charge. The great family road trip hasn’t gotten any more bearable in the post-engine era, but may get a bit more cheapskate-friendly.

What Is A Solid-State Battery?

A solid-state battery is quite simple to explain. It stores its electrical charge in a solid electrolyte (other types of batteries use a liquid or paste-like one). They’re commonly used in small devices like pacemakers, RFIDs, and other things that demand little electricity. Because they have a very high energy density compared to other battery types (that is, they can store more electricity than other batteries of the same size), solid-state batteries seem like a natural fit for electric cars. But they don’t do well in cold weather, tend to weaken quickly after repeatedly getting charged and drained, are particularly costly, and have other issues that prevent them from going into every laptop, smartphone, and car.

The rise of EVs has made battery research a lot more profitable than it was a mere ten years ago, and scientists have been working on overcoming the shortcomings of solid-state batteries. Toyota is the first company that has come out and said it may have solved the range and battery weight problems.

What Does This Mean For Toyota’s Hydrogen Cars?

Toyota has been more devoted to hydrogen cars than practically other auto company. Indeed, Toyota has been so enthusiastic about hydrogen that at times it seemed like a passion project of recently-departed CEO Akio Toyoda. The Toyota Mirai has become the de-facto flagship of hydrogen cars. It is about as middle-of-the-road as one can get without making a crossover instead of a sedan. Indeed, it cannot be a coincidence that Toyota designed the Mirai to look like a close relation to the Camry. Putting hydrogen fuel cells into such a deliberately normal car essentially makes refueling the only difficulty for sales.

Toyota has recently announced a hydrogen variant of its Crown luxury sedan, which will be sold only in Japan (JDM enthusiasts, take note!). For quite some time, it appeared that Toyota was one of the few automakers trying to fight a valiant crusade for a fuel that could barely be found outside the confines of a small handful of cities worldwide. Toyota is also strongly pushing the use of hydrogen for commercial trucking. While it previously seemed like Toyota was betting that hydrogen would supersede batteries, it is now apparent that the company is taking the same approach to the post-ICE future as other manufacturers.

As the public gets more comfortable with EVs, most companies have begun developing both battery and hydrogen-powered cars. A quick reading of most corporate press releases about hydrogen cars shows that nearly every automaker says something about how no single-car fuel will solve the energy crisis. On the subject of hydrogen fuel cells, corporate copywriters seem particularly fond of the phrase “just one piece of the puzzle.” It’s almost a requirement to mention the metaphorical puzzle at some point in a hydrogen press release.

Toyota’s Lackluster EV History Makes This A Surprise

Perhaps Toyota’s apparent hesitance to introduce a battery EV into its current lineup comes from the failure of its previous attempt. The electric Rav4, most recently sold from 2012 to 2014, had a range of 103 miles. In other words, the car could drive about as far as a gasoline vehicle with the fuel gauge needle hovering perilously close to E. While no one noted any egregious mechanical faults with the electric RAV4, its range was too short for even the most convenient of commutes. After this less-than-exhilarating dalliance with EVs, Toyota seemed to quietly give up on them until 2022 when it introduced the bZ4x crossover SUV. Aside from having a barcode instead of a name, the bZ4x is a reassuringly ordinary vehicle with a driving range of around 250 miles (the precise range depends on trim level), which puts it on par with most other EVs today. Given this apathetic approach to EVs, no one expected Toyota to announce that it had solved the battery range problem.

However, as is Toyota’s way, the company is not rushing a long-range BEV into production. Instead, the first vehicles with this battery are expected to be hybrids instead of all-electric vehicles. Toyota claims it will be ready for sale in 2027 or 2028. While it may seem that Toyota is obstinately refusing to put “the good tech” into production cars, this long-term release plan will probably prove wise. Putting the battery into hybrid vehicles instead of immediately making it the sole power source may be a cushion of reliability. If the battery doesn’t hold up to the abuse of daily driving despite Toyota’s famously rigorous testing, the internal-combustion backup will ensure that the vehicle nevertheless has a better driving range than the 2012 electric Rav4.

Toyota Has Consistently Made Cutting-Edge Designs Available In Its Most Sensible Vehicles

While other automakers reserve their more unusual powertrains for halo cars and enthusiast-approved coupes, Toyota has a long (if understated) history of putting groundbreaking designs into practical vehicles. This is the company that introduced the world to hybrid vehicles with the Prius, a car that remains the most determinedly mundane commuting module to carry a novelty powertrain. (Obviously, hybrids aren’t a novelty today, but they were at the time.) The company also produced what may be the world’s only mid-engine minivan— which required one to dislodge the front seat and open a floor hatch when performing an oil change.

Toyota May Have Come Out of Nowhere To Take Over EVs

Toyota’s promises about this battery seem almost too good to be true. Even Tesla, the company leading the EV vanguard, hasn’t managed to produce a vehicle that has the same driving range as a car with an inline-four and a full tank of gas. The prospect of a ten-minute charge time is just as astonishing as an EV that can allegedly drive from Chicago to Philadelphia without charging midway. If Toyota lives up to its own hype, it may usurp everyone else currently vying for the top of the EV game.