The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance to develop a solid-state battery and 35 new EVs in a US$26 billion investment

Mitsubishi, Nissan, and Renault, one of the first car brands to mass-produce electric vehicles before it was cool, announced that they'll step up the portofolio electrification plans across their Alliance to the tune of US$26 billion extra investment in the next five years. That's a huge outlay given that the Alliance has committed about US$11 billion to electric cars so far, starting with the first Nissan Leaf or Mitsubishi i-MiEV EVs more than a decade ago. The new US$26 billion investment will go towards the integration of common platforms with the goal to bring 35 new electric vehicles to market by 2030, but also towards the development of the Alliance's own solid-state battery. Here are the key steps outlined in the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance's EV plan:

• The 2030 roadmap focuses on pure electric vehicles and connected mobility.
• Aims to enhance usage of common platforms to reach 80% in 2026.
• Mitsubishi Motors to reinforce presence in Europe with two new models based on Renault best-sellers.
• To invest 23 B€ in the next five years to support its offensive strategy in electrification.
• With 35 new EV cars in 2030, proposes the largest global EV offer, based on the five common EV platforms.
• Nissan unveils an all-new EV based on the CMF-BEV Alliance platform to replace the Micra in Europe; vehicle planned to be manufactured at Renault ElectriCity, the electric industrial center in Northern France.
• Reinforces common battery strategy aiming to secure a global 220 GWh production capacity by 2030.
• Nissan to lead development of breakthrough all-solid-state battery technology to benefit all members.
• Renault to lead development on common centralized electrical and electronic architecture and will launch the first full software defined vehicle by 2025.

Toyota also announced that it will try and develop a solid-state battery in its own US$35 billion electrification plan that stretches all the way to 2030. The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, however, has a head start on developing, selling, and charging electric vehicles. Nissan will lead the all-solid-state battery development as it has a unique expertise in the field, with the goal to mass-produce it in the first half of 2028. That's a rather ambitious plan, given that the world's largest car battery maker CATL claims solid-state batteries won't be entering mass production before 2030.

The first solid-state battery generation developed by Nissan is expected to have twice the energy density of current liquid Li-ion technology and take thrice shorter to a full charge. Afterwards, the Alliance will target price parity of its solid-state battery vehicles with conventional internal combustion engine ones by bringing the costs down to US$65/kWh which, if achieved, would usher in the true era of electric cars.

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