The problem with most electric cars isn’t the range, it’s the time it takes to charge the batteries. Toyota, BMW’s technical partner in hybrid technology, is aiming to solve that problem with new solid state battery technology.

According to Reuters (and Chunichi Shimbun Daily) Toyota is set to employ solid state battery technology that, coupled with an all-new platform, will allow for a full recharge in just a fe miniutes.

Currently most EVs (which use Lithium Ion batteries) need 30-60 minutes to recharge fully on the fastest chargers available. Our recent experience with the BMW i3 was similar – almost an hour to charge on the fastest charger available.

If true this could represent a giant leap in electric car experience.

What does this mean for MINI and BMW? Given that Toyota is a current technical partner it’s conceivable that there could be some type of technology sharing under a new collaboration agreement. It’s also interesting to note that MINI executives have made mention of a new battery technology coming online in 2019 which will allow for a much better charger experience a reality. Could this be solid state batteries? We’ll know soon.