Volkswagen partners QuantumScape for solid-state battery technology

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.

Since 2012, Volkswagen Group Research has already been collaborating closely with the Stanford spin-off. Based on the significant technical progress that this cooperation has made, QuantumScape and Volkswagen will work together within a newly formed joint venture with the aim to enable an industrial level of production of solid-state batteries.

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.