PowerCo, a start-up company owned by Volkswagen, has reported that the solid-state batteries produced by California-based company QuantumScape age significantly slower than conventional lithium batteries. After undergoing months of testing, it has been demonstrated that these batteries experience almost no degradation during usage.
During the test period, QuantumScape’s prototype of a 24-layer lithiated metal solid-state electrolyte battery retained 95% of its initial capacity after 1,000 charging cycles. This accounts for an estimated range of 300,000 miles (approximately 483,000 km)- a significant advancement in the field. Contrarily, the industry standard for electric vehicle batteries indicates a loss of 20% capacity after only 700 charging cycles. That means, an electric vehicle with an initial battery range of around 250 miles (approximately 402 km) will see a drop to 200 miles (around 323 km) towards its end-of-life. However, an electric vehicle using QuantumScape’s solid-state battery could theoretically maintain a range close to 240 miles after a much greater mileage, as noted by PCMag.
Frank Blome, CEO of PowerCo, proclaimed, “This demonstrates a very promising potential with solid-state elements and could eventually lead to a battery that provides a greater range, charges vastly faster, and practically does not age.”
Despite the propitious results, it is worth noting that such batteries are unlikely to appear in electric vehicles for several years. QuantumScape’s founder and CEO, Jagdeep Singh, noted that there is still much to be done before the batteries can be commercially produced. As Volkswagen Group is the main investor in QuantumScape, it is expected that the new solid-state QuantumScape batteries will first be utilized in Volkswagen’s electric vehicles.
