QuantumScape delivers further developed prototype cells

The solid-state battery specialist and Volkswagen partner QuantumScape has begun delivering advanced prototypes of its cells to customers. Known as "Alpha-2", the prototypes have six instead of 24 layers compared to the previous "A0" prototypes delivered to customers and offer a higher energy density.

QuantumScape delivered the “A0” cell samples to car manufacturers for testing shortly before Christmas 2022 – including shareholder Volkswagen. According to QuantumScape, the “Alpha-2” cells delivered are an intermediate step between the A0 and the so-called “QSE-5-B0 prototypes”, which are planned for later this year.

The QSE-5 is QuantumScape’s first commercial product, which will offer a capacity of 5 Ah and an energy density of over 800 Wh/l – and can be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in around 15 minutes. A B0 prototype – i.e. the first beta version – would bring the company closer to the series product.

While the QSE-5 will again be a cell with 24 layers, the current Alpha-2 is a six-layer cell. According to the company, it increased the cell’s energy density “primarily due to higher-loading cathodes (i.e., packed with more active material) and more efficient packaging that optimizes the materials and space within the cell.” The improvements introduced with the Alpha-2 – such as narrower inner edges, thinner current collectors and a slimmer design – will be “integral to the final product.”

QuantumScape’s potential customers can test “key performance parameters and prototype-level reliability” with the Alpha-2 prototype. While these tests are underway, QuantumScape intends to incorporate these component-level improvements to the six-layer Alpha-2 into the beta version of the 24-layer QSE-5 cells and improve their production.

“The Alpha-2 shipments represent an important milestone on our path to commercialization,” said Siva Sivaram, president and CEO of QuantumScape. “Customer feedback is the most critical input in the product development cycle as it provides insight into areas that need improvement and strengthens collaboration. The faster we can get new product iterations into customers’ hands, the faster we get to production. We are very encouraged by the initial Alpha-2 performance results and excited about the first QSE-5 cells we expect to manufacture later this year.”

“The improvements in energy and power densities demonstrated by the Alpha-2 prototypes indicate that QSE-5 can push the boundaries of solid-state battery performance,” said Tim Holme, co-founder and CTO of QuantumScape. “We continue to advance our anode-free, solid-state battery in performance and maturity with methodical execution on our milestones.”

This year, the company will launch the so-called “Raptor production process” for low-volume QSE-5 prototype production. The “Cobra production process” for high-volume production is still being developed and should start in 2025.

quantumscape.com