Toshiba has carved out a significant share of the lithium-ion battery market in industrial, automotive, and energy sectors—despite championing a more expensive anode material with lower energy density. The Japanese company is using lithium titanium oxide (LTO) anodes as it competes with standard lithium-ion batteries to gain a foothold in price-sensitive markets including low-power vehicles, boats, and industrial equipment, where lead-acid batteries still dominate.
First introduced in 2008, Toshiba’s SCiB batteries are now available as single cells, modules, and packs that can be configured in series or parallel to match voltage and capacity needs. For example, the Type 3 module can be linked in series to deliver over 1,000 volts and roughly 40 kilowatt hours. As energy storage systems in industry, for example, SciB batteries are used to reduce grid-frequency-changes in substations, and as battery storage for renewable energy systems; while in transportation, it can be found powering electric ferries and battery-powered locomotives.
In October, Toshiba launched its SCiB 24-volt battery pack designed to replace standard industrial lead-acid batteries in Japan’s cost-conscious mobility market, and which can be adapted to similar form factors used overseas.
Advantages of LTO Anodes
Toshiba’s SCiB 24-volt battery pack can be deployed as a standalone unit or configured in series and parallel.Toshiba
Though LTO carries a premium price tag, “it provides a long life of over 20,000 cycles, greater safety, rapid recharging, and it can operate as low as -30 °C,” says Shigeru Shimakawa, a technical fellow in Toshiba’s battery systems engineering department. These are key advantages for competing in the 24-volt lead-acid replacement market, he says, because lead-acid batteries are heavy and bulky, charge slowly, and have short life cycles—though low cost explains their continued popularity.
Yasushi Midorikawa, a senior manager of battery sales and marketing at Toshiba, explains how LTO ‘s advantages compare with those of competing graphite-based lithium-ion batteries. Any lithium-ion battery charges and discharges energy by moving lithium ions from the anode to the cathode and back again. The difference is that graphite anodes store the ions between tight carbon layers, which slows their movement. LTO, by comparison, has a three-dimensional tunnel structure that provides more space for ions to move freely and safely at high speeds, which allows it to charge faster.
That said, graphite operates at a lower potential relative to lithium than LTO, giving it the advantage of a higher cell voltage and energy density. “A higher potential reduces the energy density of a cell,” says Neeraj Sharma, a professor of chemistry focusing on battery materials at the University New South Wales Sydney in Australia. “For example, when comparing graphite and LTO with the same cathode, the graphite cell will have a higher energy density. Generally speaking, this means you need more LTO-cathode cells to get the equivalent energy density of a graphite cell.”
But during fast charging or at low temperatures, lithium can be deposited on the graphite anode, a condition known as lithium plating. Over time, this plating leads to the growth of dendrites: Tiny needles of metallic lithium that can damage the anode, reducing its ability to hold and release ions efficiently, which shortens the battery’s cycle life compared to LTO.
“Lithium-ion plating is a key failure mechanism for graphite-based lithium-ion batteries,” says Sharma. “And it is often associated with battery fires, risks, and safety.”
Toshiba is trialing swappable 24-volt battery packs with LTO anodes for electric motorbikes in Bangkok.Toshiba
Battery Swapping Innovations
Toshiba is testing its 24-volt battery pack in Bangkok as a replacement for lead-acid batteries used in electric motorcycle taxis. Last year the company teamed up with Naturenix, a Tokyo-based battery technology start-up specializing in designing fast-charging lithium-ion battery pack systems for small electric vehicles.Together, the companies conducted a proof-of-concept (PoC) service test that allowed drivers of electric motorcycle taxis to swap battery packs at a charging station.
“From the resulting test data, we estimate a battery life of over ten years is possible even in Bangkok’s hot climate,” says Haruchika Ishii, a business development fellow in Toshiba’s battery division. “And if specialized maintenance is used, this could be extended to about 18 years.” He adds that from December to March 2026, a new phase of testing will begin with a paid service supporting 100 motorcycles using five charging stations.
Yet even with these promising results, Toshiba faces a well-entrenched rival. Honda Motor Company has already established a battery-swapping business in Asia and elsewhere. As early as 2019, Honda began testing its lithium-ion Mobile Power Packs in motorbikes and scooters in the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan. In 2022, commercial operations commenced in Japan and then in Bengaluru, India, and Honda has since broadened the business to Delhi and Mumbai, as well as Thailand and Europe.
But Toshiba says its approach to the battery-swapping business is different. “SCiB’s long life and fast charging—80 percent of capacity in six minutes—changes the economics of electrification, making a subscription model possible for battery as a service,” says Ishii. Typical lithium-ion batteries degrade relatively quickly, making a subscription model less practical, he says. “Also, swapping a SCiB battery is optional—not essential, because charging time is so quick,” he adds. “So fewer charging stations will be needed.”
Toshiba is also eyeing small boats. In October, Yamaha Motor began testing the technology in an electric sightseeing boat servicing the port of Yokohama, Japan. The vessel previously used lead-acid batteries powering twin electric propulsion systems produced by Yamaha, but the batteries had to be exchanged for fresh ones after every trip. Now, each propulsion system is powered by a SCiB 24-volt battery pack configured in a set of two in series and six in parallel, delivering 5.76 kilowatt-hours for a combined total of 48 volts and 11.52 kWh. As of this writing, the companies said it was too soon to provide test results.
For certain use cases, Sharma says SCiB looks to be a good, safe competitor to lower-cost lithium-ion batteries when it comes to replacing lead-acid ones. “Key advantages compared to lead-acid batteries is its higher energy density, so you can have the same energy density with a smaller footprint, and it can perform for a longer number of cycles,” he says. “As for graphite-based lithium-ion batteries, it is safer and so more suited for certain applications.”
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