GANDHINAGAR: Japan’s Toyota Motor is set to launch within a couple of years vehicles with solid-state batteries that charge faster and last longer, a top official of its India unit said on Thursday.

Solid-state batteries promise to dramatically improve the driving range of electric vehicles (EVs), a key element of a strategic pivot Toyota unveiled in June to make up for ground lost to Tesla and Chinese rivals, such as BYD, in the EV race.

Last year Toyota and oil refiner Idemitsu Kosan said they would tie up to develop and mass produce all-solid-state batteries, which they aimed to commercialise in 2027 and 2028, followed by full-scale mass production.

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“The solid-state batteries can be charged in 10 minutes and have a range of 1,200 km (750 miles),” Vikram Gulati, country head of Toyota Kirloskar Motor, told an investment summit in the western state of Gujarat.

Thousands of chief executives, investors and diplomats have gathered for the three-day event at which big global and Indian firms have unveiled investment plans worth nearly $33 billion.