QuantumScape's solid-state lithium metal battery is the first commercially viable battery 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 global automotive industry's first commercially viable solid-state lithium metal battery. The company claims that they can increase the autonomy of a electric car 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 Li-ion batteries; yet, making a battery that is reliable and has a lifespan suited to any driver's needs – high charge and discharge rates, long life and without any concerns about temperature or safety – has proven difficult so far.

QuantumScape claims to have solved one of the biggest problems with electric cars

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

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

The battery of the QuantumScape charges at incredible speeds, allowing a 0 – 80% charge in 15 minutes. The battery can retain more than 80% of its capacity after 800 cycles, which would be about 386.000 km driven in an electric car.

Co-inventor of the lithium-ion battery and winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry talks about battery details and main obstacles in the automotive industry  

The Doctor. Stanley Whittingham, co-inventor of the lithium-ion battery and winner of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, stated in this regard that “…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 wide operating temperature range. This data shows that QuantumScape's cells meet all these requirements, something that has never been achieved before. If QuantumScape can bring this technology to full-scale production, it has the potential to transform automotive industry. "

Battery expert talks about the potential of the new solid-state lithium battery

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

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

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

About a company  

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

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

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