SAN JOSE: Volkswagen Group’s battery company PowerCo and QuantumScape have announced earlier this month they have entered into an agreement to industrialise QuantumScape’s solid-state lithium-metal battery technology.
Upon satisfactory technical progress and certain royalty payments, QuantumScape will grant PowerCo the license to mass produce battery cells based on QuantumScape’s technology platform.
Under the non-exclusive license, PowerCo can manufacture up to 40 gigawatt-hours (GWh) per year using QuantumScape’s technology with the option to expand up to 80 GWh annually, enough to outfit one million vehicles per year.
The companies believe this arrangement represents the fastest way to achieve gigawatt-hour-scale production of solid-state technology to meet the growing global demand for better electric vehicle batteries. The agreement supersedes an earlier joint venture between the Volkswagen Group and QuantumScape to co-manufacture batteries.
A large, dedicated scale-up team, composed of experts from both companies, will execute on the industrialisation activities.
QuantumScape’s technology platform is based on the company’s proprietary solid-state ceramic separator, which enables the use of a pure lithium-metal anode – an innovation that boasts exceptional energy and power density, fast charging and a robust safety profile.
