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.
![QSlab](https://da4dkroembtou.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/QSlab.jpg)
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.