QuantumScape Corporation (QS)

[Whalatane]

From VW today ...re EV plans

Eventually it eyes solid-state battery cells by the middle of the decade. In the meantime, VW unveiled a cell that helps bridge the gap. "The new prismatic unified cell also offers the best conditions for the transition to the solid state cell — the next quantum leap in battery technology ... ."

The prismatic unified cell will launch in 2023 and could slash battery costs in half, Volkswagen said.

Solid-state batteries could transform electric cars with fast recharging times, lower costs and increased battery life, thereby removing obstacles that have held back the mass adoption of electric vehicles.

Volkswagen has partnered with solid-state battery maker QuantumScape (QS) for nearly a decade. In 2018, the companies set up a joint venture to make solid-state batteries and VW now owns a stake in the California-based company.

QuantumScape appeared to achieve a major breakthrough in developing solid-state lithium metal batteries. The batteries promise to be safer and cheaper, have a longer life span, charge faster and have more energy density than existing lithium ion batteries.

On Feb. 16, the company revealed it can produce multilayered battery cells. Its four-layer battery is still short of the 12 or so needed to be commercially viable. But the company is confident enough in its ability to make progress that it decided to build a "pre-pilot" production facility to make "enough batteries for hundreds of long-range battery electric test vehicles per year" by 2023.

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Kiwi