[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Japanese companies such as Toyota Motor and Panasonic are maintaining their lead in the competition to develop ‘all-solid-state batteries,’ known as the next-generation batteries for electric vehicles. With the Japanese government actively supporting this, Korean companies are accelerating their pursuit, causing Japan to become increasingly concerned.
On the 7th, Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun, in collaboration with a patent research firm, investigated the number of patents related to all-solid-state batteries filed in 10 countries and regions including Japan, the United States, Europe, and China, as well as two organizations including the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). According to the report, Toyota secured 1,331 related patents from 2000 until the end of March this year. Panasonic ranked second with 445 patents, and Idemitsu Kosan was third with 272 patents. Among the top 10 companies, six were Japanese firms, including these three.
Nihon Keizai Shimbun stated, "Toyota began research in the 1990s and holds patents across a wide range of fields including battery structure, materials, and manufacturing processes," adding, "In 2020, Toyota completed a prototype equipped with an all-solid-state battery earlier than other companies." Additionally, Panasonic established a joint venture with Toyota for vehicle batteries in 2020 and has been conducting joint research and development on all-solid-state batteries.
The newspaper also highlighted that Korean companies are catching up. Among the top 10 companies holding patents for all-solid-state batteries, four are Korean firms rather than Japanese. Notably, while Toyota’s related patents increased by 40% between 2016 and 2020, Samsung Electronics doubled and LG Chem tripled their patent holdings during the same period. Nihon Keizai Shimbun explained that Korean companies hold many patents directly linked to practical performance improvements such as battery life extension.
The global battery market is currently fiercely competitive, centered on lithium-ion batteries. However, due to several limitations of lithium-ion batteries, the need for technology development for next-generation batteries has grown, accelerating the development of all-solid-state batteries. Domestic companies are also focusing on technology development. At the ‘52nd Anniversary Foundation Day’ event held on the 1st, Choi Yoon-ho, President of Samsung SDI, stated, "We will succeed in early mass production of all-solid-state batteries and secure the next-generation product market."
All-solid-state batteries, which contain solid electrolytes, are called ‘game changers’ that will transform the electric vehicle ecosystem by compensating for the shortcomings of existing lithium-ion batteries, as they have almost no risk of fire, high energy density, and fast charging speed.
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