Volkswagen partner QuantumScape is testing 10-layer solid-state batteries

QuantumScape, a U.S. battery startup that went public last fall, announced recently that it has entered the testing phase of a 10-layer solid-state battery, an important sign of its progress in commercially viable solid-state batteries for electric vehicles.  

Volkswagen is the largest shareholder in QuantumScape, one of the companies developing solid-state batteries that could greatly accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles by providing a safer and cheaper alternative to lithium-ion batteries. It has benefited from growing investor interest in electric vehicles and related upgrade technologies.  

While solid-state batteries have cleared some technical hurdles, QuantumScape still has a long way to go to prove that they can be mass-produced. The company said in February that it had produced a four-layer battery, a key step in bringing the technology to the real world.  

Its recent announcement marks another step forward in that process, but QuantumScape says it will reveal more test data later this year.  

“While we need to produce and test more of these cells to collect data and statistics on their performance and reliability, this is an extremely important result,” the company said in a letter to shareholders.  

As it moves toward commercialization, QuantumScape must also demonstrate testing of larger battery cells, which are closer to the specifications that automakers use for mass vehicle assembly.  

In March, QuantumScape raised about $463 million to expand a pilot battery production line in California and a 50-50 joint venture with Volkswagen AG that will start producing batteries as early as 2024.