FE, PE & PMP Review Courses: School of PE: February 2025

Thursday, 27 February 2025

Balancing Work and Exam Preparations: Strategies for Busy Professionals

While preparing to take certification exams, exam prep courses can be a tool to help refresh the knowledge necessary to successfully complete the exam. However, finding time to study while working a full-time job can be difficult and daunting. That’s not to say that it can’t be done. Career advancement by way of professional certification can be done while working full-time. It takes diligence and determination with an eye on the end goal to make the preparation period worth the time investment.

Here, we’ll discuss the importance of finding a balance between exam preparation and work and strategies for busy professionals that create this balance.

The Importance of Finding a Balance Between Exam Prep and Work

Without a good balance between exam preparation and work, the effort put into both will result in next to nothing. Even if the test is passed, there can be hazardous effects on the person’s mental, physical, or emotional health. Given that two-thirds of employees have experienced burnout at some point in their career, it’s a wonder why anybody chooses to take on such a seemingly insurmountable task as certification exams while working full time. Conversely, if a good balance is reached, satisfaction is much greater, and the enjoyment post-exam is much easier to come by. Finding the balance between exam prep and work can look like:

Creating boundaries for each to allow focus time for either
Taking care of physical, mental, and emotional health
Taking on only as many tasks as is necessary to avoid burnout
Greater satisfaction from the eventual certification

Strategies and Tips that Create Balance

Finding the right balance for yourself and your life situation depends heavily on your goal, your specific life circumstance, and your personal capabilities. Using these strategies, you’ll be able to develop a system that works for you.

Find an Effective Goal Framework- There are dozens of frameworks to choose from that break down goal setting and turn goals into specific, manageable tasks. For instance, the goal in the end isn’t just to pass the exam. The initial goal is to develop a study plan that enables you to manage both work and exam preparation. The next goal would be to complete the exam prep course and then, finally, the exam itself. Whichever way you choose to look at it, finding a framework that works for yourself and your personality that helps you break the goal down into what needs to get done is a big step forward.

Have a Plan in Place- Develop an action plan that helps you reach your ultimate goal. This plan comes in the form of a study schedule and a contingency plan should that schedule be negated by life’s unforeseeable circumstances. Create a realistic study plan that’s specific to you and what you’re capable of doing in the given timeframe. For instance, most courses are set up for the average learner. However, most of the world is not actually made up of an average person. So, take a look at how you have historically completed big projects and adjust accordingly.

Organization is Key- A fundamental aspect of balance is organization. Whether in your professional or personal time, you need to find an organizational practice that works for you. Whether you’re visual and having sticky notes up on a board helps you stay on track or manage best with a simple to-do list, staying organized will help you know when to do the work, where, and how.

Plan by Months, Weeks and Days- While we try to plan for the best-case scenario, if there’s anything we can learn from life, it’s inconsistent. Sometimes, we’re able to do more than we wanted and sometimes less. So, make a goal for the month and a plan for the week, and then adjust to what you need on the individual days.

Find Support from your Employer- Whether you plan on staying on your job, and the exam is for advancement in your current role, or the plan is to transfer, most employers are more than willing to help accommodate for exam review. It’s likely that they’ve been in a similar situation and can sympathize with the pressure you’re under. Some accommodation can be made to help with time, such as working from home some days to eliminate long commutes and being given low-energy assignments.

Use Technology to Maximize Efficiency- The ability to focus for longer periods of time is becoming a skill that most people work really hard to master. With YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok, the idea of watching or listening to something that doesn’t immediately grab our interest is exhausting. While there is this negative aspect of the internet and technology as a whole, there are also incredibly valuable resources that help increase focus, such as timers, focus music, etc., that can help focus when it’s necessary.

Create and Keep Boundaries Around Certain Tasks- While sometimes it’s okay to watch a video here and there during your lunch break or in between meetings, creating very direct boundaries around specific task sets (such as setting up a PowerPoint for work and completing assignments for the course) allows you to compartmentalize when and where you’re working on a specific thing. If you allow yourself to keep working on a course review assignment while you’re supposed to work on the PowerPoint, you’ll not only have less focus, but you may be less satisfied with your completed work and information retention.

Don’t Discount the Benefits of Healthy Habits- Sleep, a nutritious diet, and exercise all play a part in our ability to manage stress, both continuously and sporadic. Ensure that you’re prioritizing sleep along with getting adequate nutrition and exercise. This will help you in the process of determining what tasks are necessary to prioritize, as well as provide you with good judgment.

Manage your Time Effectively- Time management is a hot topic right now, and it seems like everybody is giving the exact right way to manage our time more effectively. Truth be told, you’re the only one that can find the right tools for you. However, time management is an important skill to learn, especially where work and exams are concerned. Here’s a short list of ways that you can manage your time more effectively.

Keep lists
Focus on one task at a time
Limit tasks to time blocks
Plan your week ahead of time
Create a changeable daily plan that accounts for variables
Do the highest priorities first
Evaluate your energy levels and match it to accompanying tasks
Eliminate distractions
Make the most of waiting time

Be Flexible- Exam preparation courses are long and daunting and have an even more stressful event at the very end that can decide the ultimate trajectory of your career. The path to getting there can be difficult, but it doesn’t need to be stressful. By keeping a flexible mindset, you can tackle any obstacles that are thrown your way, manage your time when things go awry, and maintain a work-prep balance that works.

Learn to Outsource- A very powerful tool of top leaders and achievers is the ability to delegate and the understanding of which tasks are better suited to another person rather than you. Delegation is not something that comes to high achievers naturally, so learning to let go of control in some situations is a skill that needs to be developed. It can help free up time and energy so that you can work on things that actually need your attention.

Automate Repetitive Tasks- Going back to using technology to do your bidding, you can automate certain tasks to be done at specific times, like email responses, and form auto inserts of information. This also frees up time and attention that you wouldn’t have had before.

Take Regular Breaks- Whether scheduled or not, taking breaks for your mind to be completely disengaged from work can create a natural environment where your mind can wander, stress-free, into whatever line of thought you want. Sleep is important, but equally as important is your mind’s ability to wander and not think about anything in particular for a while. These breaks can involve games, writing exercises, and many other forms of mind numbery.

Returning to education is a big decision that can have a long-term positive impact on your future, but in the short term (and in most cases) leads to stress, missed deadlines, and personal and professional frustration- and that’s one of the best case scenarios. Finding a balance between work and exam preparation involves creating and sticking to boundaries and living a very organized life. However it looks for you, there’s no doubt that professional certification is one of the most rewarding steps you can take toward career advancement.

Are you ready to take your career to the next level with professional certification? Explore School of PE's exam review courses and gain the skills you need to succeed.

About the Author: Anna Taylor

Anna Taylor is a freelance writer and avid researcher- a jack of all trades, but a master of none. She graduated from the University of Hawai'i with an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts because she had no idea what she wanted to be when she grew up. She has since found her love of Extended Reality and the possibilities it brings to the world, as well as gardening, cooking, and writing. Anna lives in Interior Alaska with her family.

Thursday, 20 February 2025

The Future of Work: Preparing Your Team for Industry Trends

The ever-changing nature of business is a frustrating point for many people. Frequent fluctuations in trends are oftentimes a deterrent in finding a path to success. However, there is nothing more beneficial in business than your ability to adapt to that change and make those changing trends your friend.

In order to thrive in today’s market, it’s important to stay on top of trends within your industry, no matter the field. Many business leaders find the challenge of preparing their team to track and understand industry trends daunting, along with staying up to date with the most current trends in order to predict the future.

In order to prepare the team, it’s important to first understand what trends are, how to identify them, and how to know which trends to follow. In this post, we’ll discuss the types and offer tips on how to identify trends within your industry to help you better prepare your team for industry changes.

Types of Trends

It’s important to understand the difference between a trend and a fad- something made popular by an influencing person or group. Fads rise quickly, gain popularity and momentum quickly, and then fall away just as fast. An example of a fad within social media is the Stanly cup, the water cup with a unique design that had every influencer racing to the website. The cup sold out repeatedly, with millions of mentions in social media and blogs, and- just as quickly- faded away. A year after the initial rise, there’s very little mention of the tumbler at all.

A trend is something that is more or less predictable, following a pattern that can be tracked and tested by research, analytics, surveys, and attention to detail, and has more staying power. There are trends in pricing, customer purchasing (which can be where social media influence comes heavily into play), a specific demand for a product (as with the Stanley Cup example), manufacturing practices, and more. There are different kinds of trends that have more to do with time and where you’ll find the actual trackable patterns.

Trend Systematic is an overall continuous upward or downward pattern of movement tracked over several years.
Seasonal Systematic trends are regular periodic fluctuations occurring within a 12-month period (think weather patterns, holidays, and social events).
Cyclical Systematic trends occur in a repeating cycle with phases defined as peak, contraction, trough, and expansion.
Irregular Unsystematic trends are irregular fluctuations that occur as seemingly random events after systematic events.

How to Identify Industry trends

Identifying trends within your industry is rather simple at the heart of it. It’s all about gathering information with your company in mind.

Perform research on your industry- This research will come in many forms, but a good starting point would be to find a trustworthy company, such as IBIS World, that performs global industry research into a variety of niches.

Keep in touch with customers- Find a great Customer Management System (CMS) that allows you to meet with customers and find intuitive pitching opportunities within the system.

Follow social media channels related to your niche and study them- Find companies that share customer demographics, product, etc. with your company. Paying attention to how they’re advertising and maintaining their customer base will give you valuable information into how the industry is moving.

Study your competitors- Your competitors will also be a valuable resource in understanding emerging or waning trends in your industry. By studying them, you’re also gaining information into how they’re running the company and give you a competitive edge in your niche.

Watch your own analytics- Pay attention to how your own company operates, find the patterns and trends within your own already gathered information, and develop a plan of action surrounding what you know is popular within your company.

Separate your customers by demographics and interests- This helps you test the viability of following one trend over another. By doing A/B testing on your own audience, you can also find out which groups are more accepting of a certain type of product, price range, advertising method, etc.

Analyze your customer’s buying behavior- Using your CMS, you can also analyze how your customers operate in terms of when they finally show interest in purchasing a service and how likely they are to repurchase a service based on previous experience.

Research foreign markets- Foreign markets will often mirror trends within your own country and give you valuable examples of what did or didn’t do well and how to proceed after the fact.

Which Trends Should You Follow?

Even with the whole process laid out, it can sometimes be difficult to know which trends you should follow. One of the biggest reasons that people fail to make decisions or decide too late is because there are too many choices available. In order to eliminate the field of choices, here are a few steps to take that will help narrow it down to just one.

Interpret your gathered data and analyze it to see how it can help your business- For this step, it’s important to know your business goals as an organization and on a personal level. If a few choices fall out of that scope and will ultimately take away from the progress of the organization, those choices can easily be eliminated.

Double check your resources- Make sure that the sources you use are from industry experts within your field. This allows you to be confident that your pool is filled with viable trends.

Is the trend compatible with the practices and culture of your business- Similarly to your goals, make sure that the trend is in line with the everyday culture of your business. This will not only help you keep tabs on important trends but also make the job more fulfilling for those involved and lead to better job satisfaction.

Network with other enterprises within your field- Find others within your field whose opinions you value and whose business goals align with your own. Doing this will give you another set of eyes and ears to bounce ideas off of in a mutually beneficial relationship.

Determine if these trends will solve problems within your organization- This goes back to the ultimate goal of your organization. Be sure that the trends align with those goals and pay attention to the issues that have developed within the company's everyday dealings. If the trend you’re considering following doesn’t solve problems on some level, don’t consider it a viable option.

How to Prepare your Team for Industry Trends

Offer ongoing training and support- In keeping your team continually up to date with certifications and other educational experiences, you can provide them with the knowledge and skills that enable them to complete trend assessments on an intuitive level before diving into complicated reports.

Embrace automation technology- Automation is one of the greatest tools we have at our disposal. Automation takes care of more than our everyday tasks and can instead provide you with valuable customer analytics that can keep you on top of your ever-changing trends.

Prioritize utilizing a diverse workforce- As a company, it’s important to provide a diverse pool of employees who can give a myriad of perspectives on one topic. But diversity can take you far beyond having a culturally rich environment. It can also help you obtain valuable insights into different groups within your customer base and help you make more accurate predictions. While technology is an excellent resource with powerful analytic capabilities, it doesn’t replace the intuitive and contextual understanding that individuals on your team bring to the table.

Stay up to date with industry trend researchers- Keeping track of all of the changes that come with evolving technologies and people is time-intensive and requires a lot of dedication. Taking advantage of trusted research services enables you to begin a preliminary-level research process with trend reports from all around the world and is especially helpful when branching into foreign markets.

Tracking trends within your industry doesn’t have to be difficult. By utilizing technology designed specifically to obtain and analyze information for you and following industry experts who gather information on a global level, you can maintain an upward momentum within your industry. Empowering your team to internalize information and make informed decisions is one of the most valuable ways to follow trends and transform the future of work.

Stay ahead of industry trends and empower your team for the future of work with School of PE's expert-led training and resources, designed to equip professionals with the skills needed to thrive in a dynamic market. Check out our courses today!

About the Author: Anna Taylor

Thursday, 13 February 2025

Continual Learning in the Workplace: Encouraging Lifelong Development

Learning isn’t simply the process of upskilling in the workforce. The development of a system of learning in the workplace goes so much deeper than the simple exchange of knowledge. It reaches far beyond the availability of continued educational opportunities. Learning is a skill in itself, and when a person proves they’re capable of taking advantage of every opportunity for growth, whether in the workplace or in their personal lives, it proves their determination, creativity, and growth mindset. It proves that they’re not going to settle for good enough. Complacent isn’t something they understand in the personal sense of the word.

The growth and development of a person’s interests are beneficial to their emotional, mental, and physical well-being, which translates to their ability to maintain continual growth in their job. A person’s ability to nurture their desire for lifelong learning keeps them from stagnating and promotes a culture of perpetual fulfillment. It doesn’t only help them gain and understand existing knowledge. It’s important to encourage continual learning experiences in the workforce because it helps develop new knowledge bases that are only possible when a solid understanding of a specific field has been reached.

Top Characteristics of a Lifelong Learner

In order to know how to encourage workers to be lifelong learners, it’s important to look at the existing group of learners within the employee pool and figure out who has an innate learning capability. Everybody is capable of becoming a lifelong learner, and some people are born with a growth mindset already in place. It’s what it is to be human. We have a natural desire to learn from others to aid in our own survival. Here are characteristics commonly found in those focused on their personal edification.

They know what they’re interested in. Not only this, but they take the initiative in their own development. They find something they’re interested in, and if it’s enough to spark a desire to learn more, they will find a way to learn more in the form of classes, a mentor, books, etc. This person has many interests outside of work, though there may be some crossover, and those interests will bleed into their work life.
They understand their learning style. They will have taken the time to discover their receptiveness to various methods of information extraction, whether it’s videos, reading, or in-person demonstrations. They’ll also understand how deep their desire to understand is. Are they content with a surface-level understanding of a topic? Or will they not stop until they have a deep understanding of the inner workings of their chosen interest?
They set realistic and challenging goals. People who learn continually often have many commitments (oftentimes to themselves) and need a measurable way of knowing when they’ve hit their desired level of understanding. Whether it’s a time-based or information-based goal, they often set goals that challenge them to know more while maintaining a realistic level of achievability.
They have excellent reading habits. While there are definitely different methods of learning, most of the time, it’s easy to spot somebody who is ready to learn. Reading is often the way that most of us get our start in our understanding of the world. Even fantasy and other fiction genres offer a level of truth within their pages. Nonfiction is learning by facts; fiction is learning by imagination. Most steady learners have solid reading habits in place.
They follow resources and information trails. Most lifelong learners aren’t content to simply know something. It’s important to them that they know where the information is from to maintain credibility. Hank Green is an excellent example of a lifelong learner, especially where sources are concerned. When he doesn’t understand something, he makes sure that he’s able to understand it in a way that he can teach others. Take his YouTube video on the United Nations, for example.
They’re part of a group of like-minded learners. A common characteristic of a lifelong learner is that they join groups where they can share and compare knowledge. This is highly beneficial because it helps solidify information in their mind and allows them to gain even more information from others with the same interests. There is value in sharing their skills and knowledge with others, and they understand this.
They take regular courses. They know their resources and take classes that help them follow their paths of interest. Learning has never been easier than it is today. There is a wealth of knowledge from various sources, whether you’re a hobbyist writer or a seasoned engineer. There are so many excellent places to go to that help develop not only an information base but also a person’s ability and desire to know more. For them, it’s not only about finding information. It’s about finding the right information from credible sources.
They have a curious mindset. The old phrase “curiosity killed the cat” could not be more indicative of any other group than it is of perpetual learners because it’s that curiosity that leads them to follow paths all around the world. The satisfaction they gain from following that curiosity is the most beneficial part of being a lifelong learner.

What Motivates a Person to Learn?

Understanding what motivates a person to learn is the key ingredient in turning workers into lifelong learners. While the world is full of natural information gatherers (our survival depends on it), it’s not a quality inherent in every individual. So, what actually motivates a person to learn? Is it money? Surely, in a work setting, that is a big factor. However, it’s not the biggest one.

For individuals devoted to the acquisition of knowledge, it goes much deeper and starts much earlier than financial obligation. Learning and the desire to understand starts as young as a year old when the person goes from being entirely dependent on another human being to discovering that they’re not, in fact, part of that person. The motivation at its core is a desire to understand the world around us from the context of what it means to be us. So, cooking, analytics, software development, sewing, and project management all lead us to a better understanding of what it means to be.

How to Encourage Lifelong Development in the Workplace

While in the workplace, not everybody has the desire to learn more or even the understanding that they can pursue interests actively, there is a way to encourage lifelong development within the workplace environment. Part of it comes down to that initial motivation- the desire to understand who we are within the context of the world. Beyond that, it comes down to creating an environment that teaches workers that learning benefits them. Here are a few things to take into consideration.

Allow employees to take control of their learning opportunities. Instead of being regimented in how they learn (because everybody is different), give employees the opportunity to follow their own curiosity at their own pace.
Emphasize learning and development goals alongside performance goals. While performance goals are an important factor in the workplace, the lack of personal improvement can be just as detrimental to a work environment as failing to reach sales quotas.
Use casual check-ins to evaluate progress. This provides a stress-free way of learning about a person’s goals and how they’re progressing. Learning should be entirely stress-free and lack the fear involved in professional goals.
Use a work network to help connect employees with mentors. Mentoring is a development opportunity that can come directly from a person’s professional network. With this mentor residing within the field of work, employees can get that spark of inspiration within their own field of expertise.
Create opportunities to learn as a group. Group learning is a great way to share experiences and information.
Develop a store of educational resources. A digital library filled with links, contacts, and study materials can provide workers with one centralized place to go when they have questions.
Recognize learning achievements. Recognition plays a huge role in both professional and personal development. It’s important for a person to feel pride in the work they’re doing, and this is one way to facilitate that.
Place personal development on the same level of importance as career development. Personal and professional development play off of each other because they both provide value to the context of a person’s life; both are equally important on a daily level.

Setting systems in place that allow a person to follow their own curiosity can create a lifelong learner far better than creating a regimented system of expectation can. People are naturally curious, but some take a little extra effort to draw out that curiosity than others. This could be because of a variety of factors, but the surefire way to help encourage development is to provide a place where learning and personal development are encouraged instead of shamed. By giving employees a support system that encourages growth, they’ll not be the only ones who benefit. Happy, satisfied workers give back more than what they’re given and can contribute to an environment where information is prized, and growth is inevitable.

Encourage lifelong learning and professional growth with a course from School of PE. Explore our offerings today and empower your team to reach new heights.

About the Author: Anna Taylor

Thursday, 6 February 2025

Toyota Unveils Solid-State Battery Tech: A Game-Changer for EVs?

Toyota's recent unveiling of its proprietary solid-state battery technology represents a major breakthrough that could profoundly transform electric vehicles. Solid-state batteries utilize a solid electrolyte rather than a liquid or gel, bestowing significant advantages in performance compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries with liquid electrolytes. Toyota's investments in successfully developing viable solid-state lithium-ion batteries for mass production could pay off by enabling longer-range, faster-charging electric vehicles.

How Solid-State Batteries Work

Like all batteries, solid-state batteries consist of two electrodes - a positive cathode and a negative anode - that drive an electrochemical reaction. Sandwiched between the electrodes is the electrolyte, which allows lithium ions to flow back and forth during charging and discharging cycles (Li et al., 2021, 1). In conventional lithium-ion batteries, the electrolyte is a liquid organic solvent. However, in solid-state batteries, the liquid is replaced by a solid material such as ceramics or polymers.

This solid electrolyte offers three main benefits (Li et al., 2021, 11):

First, without a liquid component, the electrolyte remains stable at higher voltages.
Second, solely solid materials can pack more densely at higher energy densities.
Third, the solid cannot catch fire or leak, improving overall safety.

The tradeoff historically was that solid electrolytes tended to have slower ion conductivity and poorer cycle life durability. However, Toyota's published research indicates they have engineered a sulfide-based solid electrolyte with equal or superior conductivity to liquid along with robust lifecycle durability.

Toyota's Specific Advances

While other major automakers like Volkswagen and Hyundai have showcased solid-state prototypes, Toyota is the first to announce a definitive timeline for commercialization in passenger EVs by 2027-2028 (Toyota Times, 2023). This confidence stems from Toyota's vertical integration, experience with batteries from hybrids, and a decade spent systematically developing better solid electrolytes.

Specifically, Toyota leverages its expertise with bipolar nickel-metal hydride batteries used in hybrids like the Prius, now adapting similar principles to lithium-ion chemistry. The bipolar design connects adjacent battery cells in series within a single stacked layer instead of requiring separate cells in their own packages. This allows for a more compact, space-efficient layout while also improving cooling.

For the vital electrolyte component, Toyota initially researched oxide-based solid electrolytes but ran into challenges around interface stability, voltage resistance, and manufacturability. They have since shifted focus to more conductive sulfide-based electrolytes. These electrolytes demonstrate sufficient ion conductivity on par with liquid along with a high voltage ceiling of approximately 3V, suitable for an advanced lithium nickel manganese cobalt cathode (Wu et al., 2018, 1).

Toyota's electrolyte innovations have enabled satisfactory cycling performance thus far. Published test results claim they have achieved over 1,000 consecutive charge/discharge cycles with minimal capacity degradation. For perspective, this would equate to over 300,000 km if cycled daily in an EV. Toyota targets further improvements to reach over 15 years of operational life before needing battery replacement.

Potential Benefits Down the Road

Assuming Toyota can reach mass production as planned, what exactly are the projected benefits of their solid-state batteries versus advanced lithium-ion? Based on their announcements, we can expect:

For starters, Toyota claims up to 20% greater range from a battery pack of identical size and weight compared to their latest liquid lithium-ion formulation. This stems from higher energy density enabled by the solid-state construct along with the usage of a high-capacity nickel-containing cathode (Johnson & Lambert, 2023).
Even more dramatically, the enhanced power density and thermal stability accommodate rapid charging rates. Toyota projects a 10 to 80% charge, taking 15 minutes or less (Edelstein & Halvorson, 2023). To replenish 300 km of range in just 15 minutes would represent a paradigm shift in EV refueling times, bringing them much closer to liquid-fueled vehicles. This fast charging capability is key both for long trips and alleviating range anxiety.
On the cost front, Toyota admits that initially, solid-state batteries will carry a higher price tag due to the need for newer materials and formation processes. However, they expect manufacturing improvements to drive down solid-state costs over time on a learning curve comparable to the decline seen in lithium-ion costs over the past decade.

If Toyota can realize this kind of performance in a production vehicle, it would make range anxiety a thing of the past. Charging time equal to filling up at the gas station could rapidly accelerate EV adoption. This caliber of solid-state battery would cement Toyota as the industry leader.

Remaining Obstacles

Despite Toyota's progress, significant challenges remain to scale up solid-state batteries for mass vehicle production. The new sulfide electrolytes likely require specialized manufacturing environments and techniques compared to widespread lithium-ion battery factories today. Battery packs may also need more sophisticated thermal management to avoid temperature extremes that could damage the solid electrolyte.

Safety also remains a concern due to the flammability of the lithium metal anodes required for high energy density. Metallic lithium is highly reactive and difficult to produce without defects. Toyota will need to meticulously control impurities and short circuits, especially considering electric vehicles have large battery packs. Long-term reliability and abuse tolerance testing will be critical.

Toyota itself acknowledges that commercialization depends on simultaneous improvements in energy density, cycle life, and costs. It will take substantial engineering effort and iteration to transition solid-state batteries from lab success to high-volume manufacturing.

The Road Ahead

Toyota's solid-state battery technology shows immense potential to disrupt the electric vehicle landscape. However, they still have a rocky road to reach affordable mass production while matching safety and reliability. If Toyota could become the first automaker to truly commercialize solid-state lithium-ion batteries, it would cement its position as a leader in EV technology for decades. For consumers, it could mean EVs with over 50% more range and charging times rivaling gas cars.

Other automakers like Tesla and Volkswagen are racing down similar solid-state paths, but Toyota currently has a head start based on its early R&D efforts. For any company, it will take billions of dollars and partnerships across the supply chain to mature this promising but still unproven battery technology. It is an engineering marathon, but the winners could accelerate the global adoption of electric vehicles. Toyota has made a daring early breakaway, but the final outcome remains far from certain.

What do you think? Are solid-state batteries the future or doomed to fail?

References

Edelstein, S., & Halvorson, B. (2023, June 14). Toyota touts 10-minute EV charging, solid-state battery due in 2027. Green Car Reports. Retrieved September 26, 2023, from https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1139929_toyota-10-minute-ev-charging-solid-state-battery-due-in-2027
Johnson, P., & Lambert, F. (2023, June 13). Toyota claims solid-state EV battery tech breakthrough could offer +900 miles driving range. Electrek. Retrieved September 26, 2023, from https://electrek.co/2023/06/13/toyota-claims-solid-state-ev-battery-tech-breakthrough/
Li, C., Wang, Z., He, Z., Li, Y., Mao, J., Dai, K., Yan, C., & Zheng, J. (2021). An advance review of solid-state battery: Challenges, progress and prospects. Sustainable Materials and Technologies, 29. ISSN 2214-9937. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.susmat.2021.e00297
Toyota Times. (2023, August 2). Cutting-Edge Gathering Reveals the Future of Mobility. Cutting-Edge Gathering Reveals the Future of Mobility. Retrieved September 26, 2023, from https://toyotatimes.jp/en/newscast/028.html?padid=ag478_from_newsroom
Wu, F., Fitzhugh, W., Ye, L., Ning, J., & Li, X. (2018, October 2). Nature Communications. Advanced sulfide solid electrolyte by core-shell structural design, 9, 1. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-06123-2

About the Author: Khoa Tran

Khoa Tran is an electrical engineer working at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and is currently pursuing his master's in electrical Power from the University of Southern California. He is fluent in both Vietnamese and English and is interested in outdoor activities and exploring new things.

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