Solid-state batteries are poised to revolutionize the automotive industry, and Honda is one step closer to putting them in its cars, way ahead of many automakers.

These types of batteries differ in their composition from other types and these differences are an advantage. They are more energy dense, meaning they can store more energy in the same amount of space or the same amount of energy in a smaller footprint. Solid batteries are generally considered safer because they do not use a liquid electrolyte that could leak or catch fire. And they work better at high temperatures, allowing for faster charging.

Honda has just completed its first solid-state battery demonstration assembly line (covering approximately 295,000 square feet) at its Tochigi plant in Japan to test its mass production process for battery assembly. The line has special equipment to verify each production process, including weighing and mixing materials, coating and rolling assemblies, forming cells and constructing modules.

Honda will also address the cost of fitting these new batteries, which are cheaper to manufacture in addition to the above benefits. Thanks to its pressing technique, similar to how liquid batteries are made, it can increase the density of solid layers and enable continuous pressing. Bonding the electrodes is also faster as the company tries to reduce the production time per cell.

Honda is also working to reduce indirect manufacturing costs, including energy consumption, though necessary build temperature, as solid-state batteries are less demanding during production (and use).

The goal of the car company in reducing costs is to pass the savings on to the customer. This could lead to a reduction in the price of battery electric cars to the price of those with other powertrains. Due to its enormous size and very different performance and off-road equipment in addition to passenger vehicles, Honda plans to amortize the cost of these semiconductor cells in the millions of units.

Although the new battery technology is not set to go into mass production until the second half of 2020, Honda has been working on it for more than a decade. The company says that thanks to this early research, it was able to quickly produce a demonstration line and is making progress on materials selection.

“Replacing the engines that have fueled the progress of automobiles until now, batteries will be a key driver of electrification. We believe that advances in batteries will be the driving force behind Honda’s transformation,” Keiji Otsu, president and vice president of Honda. R&D said in a press release.

“Now the start of operation of our demonstration production line for our solid-state batteries is in sight, and we can say that we have reached an important milestone for Honda and Japan. We will continue to accept challenges to bring our mobile products equipped with our all-solid-state batteries to market as quickly as possible so that Honda could offer new value to our customers.”

Honda is just one of many automakers in various stages of solid-state battery research and development. BMW and Nissan have joint development agreements with American battery company Solid Power, with plans to introduce these types of batteries into vehicles by the end of the decade. Stellantis is an investor in Factorial, which plans to produce the Dodge Charger Daytona solid-state battery electric demonstrator by 2026. Volkswagen, Toyota and others have their own deals and have made similar promises in their own timelines.