Honda has taken a significant step towards making electric vehicles (EVs) more accessible and efficient by setting up a demonstration factory in Japan to mass-produce solid-state batteries. The factory, spread over 27,000 square meters, showcases Honda's plan to reduce production costs and increase energy density in EV batteries.Solid-state batteries have been a holy grail for many companies, including Volkswagen-backed QuantumScape, Nissan, and Factorial, due to their potential to offer higher energy density and longer lifespans compared to traditional lithium-ion batteries. However, scaling up production has been a major challenge. Honda's demo factory aims to overcome this hurdle by using a continuous inline mixer that is three times faster than typical cell batch processing.The Japanese automaker plans to start producing batteries on this line in January and is targeting mass production in the second half of the 2020s. Honda's CEO, Toshihiro Mibe, believes that solid-state batteries will be key to unlocking cheaper EVs. The company is also working on other EV projects, including the Prologue SUV and a new Honda Zero platform, which will be powered by LG batteries.

Solid-state batteries have been a holy grail for many companies, including Volkswagen-backed QuantumScape, Nissan, and Factorial, due to their potential to offer higher energy density and longer lifespans compared to traditional lithium-ion batteries. However, scaling up production has been a major challenge. Honda's demo factory aims to overcome this hurdle by using a continuous inline mixer that is three times faster than typical cell batch processing.

The Japanese automaker plans to start producing batteries on this line in January and is targeting mass production in the second half of the 2020s. Honda's CEO, Toshihiro Mibe, believes that solid-state batteries will be key to unlocking cheaper EVs. The company is also working on other EV projects, including the Prologue SUV and a new Honda Zero platform, which will be powered by LG batteries.