Toyota Is On The Hunt For New Battery Materials With AI

Battery technology is holding back green autos, and Toyota knows it. They recently announced that they would be enlisting the help of advanced algorithms in their hunt for better battery technologies.

The idea is that an AI can be created that will hunt down possible battery materials that are eluding us currently, and then they can be developed by teams of research engineers.

The Toyota Research Institute (TRI) is also looking for new fuel-cell technologies that would revolutionize automotive technology. These new power sources have been major stumbling blocks for EV and hybrid vehicles, but despite their higher cost, Toyota has sold 10 million hybrid cars as of this past January.

TRI Chief Science Officer Eric Krotkov had this to say about the AI initiative, “Toyota recognizes that artificial intelligence is a vital basic technology that can be leveraged across a range of industries, and we are proud to use it to expand the boundaries of materials science.

Accelerating the pace of materials discovery will help lay the groundwork for the future of clean energy and bring us even closer to achieving Toyota’s vision of reducing global average new-vehicle CO2 emissions by 90 percent by 2050.”

Clearly this is the kind of mentality we need to see going forward, if we ever want petrol-burning autos to be replaced by something that creates less pollution. Toyota is taking the lead when it comes to developing next-generation power sources, and this is likely to yield both positive environmental results, as well as a commercial edge.

Despite being a pioneer in hybrid automobiles, Toyota has yet to release their own all-electric car. That is set to change soon, as they announced last year that they are developing a full-electric auto. It will be interesting to see what this new AI program finds, and we can hope that positive developments are gained for the industry as a whole.

[via engadget]