By increasing its stake in the California technology company QuantumScape Corporation and forming a new joint venture, Volkswagen Group is paving the way for the next level of battery power for long-range e-mobility. Volkswagen will invest $136 million in U.S.A-based QuantumScape and will become the innovative enterprise's largest automotive shareholder. Closing of the transaction is subject to regulatory approval.
One of the long-term targets is to establish a production line for solid-state batteries by 2025.
Dr. Axel Heinrich, Head of Volkswagen Group Research, who will take a seat on the board of directors of QuantumScape, said, "We want to accelerate the commercialisation of QuantumScape's solid-state batteries. And we combine forces to leverage Volkswagen's experience as a production specialist and QuantumScape technology leadership. Volkswagen is thus taking another step toward a sustainable, zero-emission mobility for our customers in the future."
Solid-state battery cell technology is seen as the most promising approach for the e-mobility of the future. For example, a solid-state battery would increase the range of the e-Golf to approximately 750km compared with the present 300km. This battery technology has further advantages over the present lithium-ion technology - higher energy density, enhanced safety, better fast-charging capability and, above all, they take up significantly less space.
A solid-state battery of the same size as a current battery package can achieve a range comparable to that of conventional vehicles. While the approach has a lot of promise, advances have been difficult to attain and no other battery supplier has been able to achieve automotive performance. Volkswagen successfully tested QuantumScape early-stage solid-state battery sample cells in Germany running at automotive rates of power - an industry first.
