Company Announces First Commercially Viable Solid-State Battery

QuantumScape’s Lithium Metal Solid-State Battery Is The First Commercially Viable One In The Global Automotive Industry Capable Of Increasing The Range Of Electric Cars And Charging From 0 To 80% In Just 15 Minutes.

QuantumScape has announced impressive performance numbers for what may be the first commercially viable lithium metal solid-state battery in the global automotive industry. The company claims it can increase the range of an electric car by up to 80%, and that it can charge from 0 to 80% in just 15 minutes.

By using a solid electrolyte instead of the typical liquid solution, solid-state batteries can store considerably more energy by weight and volume than lithium-ion batteries; however, making a battery that is reliable and has a lifespan adequate to meet any driver’s needs – high charge and discharge rates, long lifespan, and no worries about temperature or safety – has proven difficult so far.

QuantumScape Claims To Have Solved One Of The Biggest Problems For Electric Cars

QuantumScape claims to have solved the range problem for electric cars with a new design that uses lithium-metal anodes that are not formed during manufacturing but are formed around the current collector when the battery is charged.

The energy density is excellent. Volumetrically, the new battery can store 1 kWh/L, about four times what the current Tesla Model 3 battery stores. By weight, it offers 380 – 500 Wh/kg, compared to 260 Wh/kg in currently used Tesla packaging.

The QuantumScape battery charges at incredible speeds, allowing for a charge of 0 – 80% in 15 minutes. The battery can retain more than 80% of its capacity after 800 cycles, which would represent about 386,000 km driven in an electric car.

Co-Inventor Of The Lithium-Ion Battery And Nobel Prize Winner In Chemistry Discusses The Battery Details And Main Hurdles In The Automotive Industry

Dr. Stanley Whittingham, co-inventor of the lithium-ion battery and 2019 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry, stated regarding this, “… the hardest part of making a functional solid-state battery is the need to simultaneously meet the requirements of high energy density, fast charging, long cycle life, and a wide operational temperature range. These data show that QuantumScape’s cells meet all of these requirements, something that has never been achieved before. If QuantumScape can bring this technology to mass production, it has the potential to transform the automotive industry.”

Battery Expert Discusses The Potential Of The New Lithium Solid-State Battery

According to Venkat Viswanathan, a battery expert and materials science professor at Carnegie-Mellon University, “… these results explode what was thought to be possible in a solid-state battery. Supporting a high enough current density to enable fast charging without forming dendrites has been a holy grail of the industry.”

Dendrites are tiny, rigid tree-like structures that can grow inside a lithium battery; their needle-like projections are called whiskers.

Both cause tremendous damage; notably, they can pierce a structure known as a separator inside a battery, just as a weed can pierce a concrete patio or a paved road. They also increase unwanted reactions between the electrolyte and lithium, accelerating battery failure.

About The Company

QuantumScape is an American company that conducts research on solid-state lithium batteries for electric cars. The company is based in San Jose, California, and employs about 400 people.

It was founded in 2010 by Jagdeep Singh, Tim Holme, and Professor Fritz Prinz from Stanford University. In 2012, QuantumScape began working with the German automaker Volkswagen.

In 2018, Volkswagen invested US$ 100 million in the company, becoming its largest shareholder. In the same year, Volkswagen and QuantumScape announced the establishment of a joint production project to prepare for mass production of solid-state batteries. In June 2020, Volkswagen made an additional investment of US$ 200 million in the company.