Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. (Idemitsu Kosan) announced on January 29 that it had decided to introduce a large-scale pilot facility to produce key materials for Toyota Motor Corporation’s (Toyota) next-generation electric vehicle (EV) all-solid-state batteries on the premises of its Chiba Complex in Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture. The materials will be used in all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries for EV models that Toyota plans to introduce as early as 2027. The facility will produce solid-state electrolytes for solid-state batteries. Currently, the company is developing mass production technologies and producing samples at its two small-scale trial facilities, one for Toyota and the other for non-Toyota clients, installed at the Chiba Complex. Based on the demonstration results from the first plant for Toyota, which began operating in November 2021, the company officially decided to establish a large-scale pilot facility. This facility is scheduled for completion in 2027 and will have an annual production capacity of several hundred tons. At the Chiba Complex, Idemitsu Kosan is also proceeding with the construction of a large-scale manufacturing facility for lithium sulfide, which is an intermediate raw material of solid-state electrolytes. (From an article in the Nikkan Jidosha Shimbun on February 2, 2026)