{"id":20873,"date":"2022-04-26T19:51:32","date_gmt":"2022-04-26T23:51:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=20873"},"modified":"2022-04-26T19:51:32","modified_gmt":"2022-04-26T23:51:32","slug":"quantumscape-updates-q1-2022-report-includes-new-16-layer-solid-state-cell-and-scaled-manufacturing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=20873","title":{"rendered":"QuantumScape update: Solid-state cells will cut EV charging time in half and increase volumetric density over 50%"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a letter to shareholders outlining its progress through Q1 of 2022, solid-state battery manufacturer QuantumScape has shared some exciting updates. These include a new 16-layer, solid-state cell \u2013 an initial proof of concept of the company\u2019s proprietary cell format. Additionally, QuantumScape<\/a> shared news of scaled manufacturing and plans for increased production capacity. There\u2019s lots to unfold here, so let\u2019s hop in.<\/p>\n

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Table of contents<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

Quick recap<\/h2>\n

QuantumScape\u00a0($QS)<\/a>\u00a0is a battery technology company founded in 2010 with the goal of developing scalable, effective solid-state batteries.<\/p>\n

In December of 2020,\u00a0the battery developer\u00a0announced it had reached a \u201cmajor breakthrough\u201d<\/a>\u00a0in its technology by utilizing a ceramic separator, leading to the successful testing of single-layer prototype cells. After\u00a0doubling the size of its initial pilot manufacturing line<\/a>, Quantumscape revealed it had also developed a 10-layer cell<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In February, QuantumScape shared another industry first with a single-layer cell that completed 400 consecutive 15-minute fast-charge cycles<\/a>, replenishing from 10% to 80% capacity while still retaining over 80% of its initial energy.<\/p>\n

In its latest Q1 letter to shareholders, QuantumScape has continued its momentum with a bunch of additional solid-state updates.<\/p>\n

\"QuantumScape
Source: QuantumScape<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The latest QuantumScape updates<\/h2>\n

The following information was taken from QuantumScape\u2019s quarterly letter<\/a> to shareholders recapping Q1 of 2022. The details can be rather \u2026 dense, so we recommend checking out the full letter for yourself, but here are some of the key takeaways.<\/p>\n

The 16-layer solid-state cell<\/h3>\n

Continuing its trend of developing and testing multi-layered cells that perform under the company\u2019s \u201cgold standard\u201d conditions<\/a>, QuantumScape shared that it has developed a 16-layer solid-state battery cell that has already endured over 500 charge cycles. So far, the cell\u2019s energy retention and cycling have behaved similarly to the cells that came before it (see graphic above).<\/p>\n

In addition to containing more layers, this new cell is the first to showcase QuantumScape\u2019s proprietary cell architecture, which is flexible enough to support an anode-free format. The company describes this initial cell as \u201can encouraging proof of concept\u201d for the flexible format but admits much work still needs to be done before it can truly be commercialized.<\/p>\n

Manufacturing scaled up<\/h3>\n

QuantumScape also offered updates to the scale of its operations, including a ramping up of separator production \u2013 a key goal for 2022 to reach weekly starts over 8,000. This past quarter, the company recorded average weekly starts over 3,700, up from 2,000 in Q4 of 2021. <\/p>\n

This increase was made possible by QuantumScape\u2019s updates to production tooling on its Phase 1 engineering line. Speaking of which, the battery developer also shared a detailed strategy of its initial scaling of production capacity. It consists of three planned phases:<\/p>\n