Toyota’s groundbreaking next-generation electric vehicle (EV) batteries, which it claims will double range and shorten charging times, are facing another delay. The company announced the second postponement of construction plans for its planned advanced battery facility in Japan.

Next-Generation Battery Factory Delayed for the Second Time!

Earlier this year, Toyota purchased a 280,000-square-meter plot of land in Fukuoka, Japan, to produce more advanced EV batteries. The site agreement, expected to be signed in April, was delayed by several months, with Toyota citing slower-than-expected demand for electric vehicles.

According to Nikkei, the agreement, which was expected to be finalized this fall, has been shelved once again. Toyota will revisit and adjust its battery factory plans for a year. Fukuoka Governor Seitaro Hattori confirmed the news to reporters after a meeting with Toyota President Koji Sato on Friday. Hattori also categorically denied claims that Toyota would abandon its factory plan entirely.

As with the first postponement, Toyota cited slowing EV demand as the reason for this delay. This postponement appears to contradict Toyota’s ambitious solid-state battery targets. Just last week at the Japan Mobility Expo, Keiji Kaita, Head of the company’s Carbon Neutral Advanced Engineering Development Center, confirmed that they were “sticking to” their timeline to launch their first solid-state battery-powered electric vehicle by 2028.

Last month, Toyota announced that it aims to “achieve the world’s first practical use of all-solid-state batteries in BEVs” by partnering with Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. to mass-produce solid-state batteries. It is also collaborating with Japanese oil giant Idemitsu in this area.

Toyota recently unveiled a solid-state battery prototype that it claims can provide a range of 1,200 km (747 miles) and a 10-minute fast charge. However, the postponement of the production facility has raised new questions about when this ambitious technology will hit the roads.