Thomas Schmall, Technikvorstand des Volkswagen Konzerns (Mitte), und Frank Blome, CEO der PowerCo SE (Rechts), in den Laboren von QuantumScape in San Jose, Kalifornien. Foto: Volkswagen Group
Battery cell manufacturer PowerCo SE, founded by the Volkswagen Group in 2022, and QuantumScape have announced a landmark agreement to industrialize QuantumScape’s next-generation lithium metal solid-state technology. Subject to technological progress and certain royalty payments, PowerCo will receive the license to mass produce battery cells based on QuantumScape’s technology.
Under the non-exclusive license, PowerCo can produce up to 40 gigawatt hours (GWh) per year using Quantumscape technology. The capacity can also be optionally expanded to up to 80 GWh per year, which would be enough for around one million e-vehicles per year. The companies believe that the agreement is the fastest way to mass-produce solid-state cells on a gigawatt-hour scale to meet the growing global demand for ever better batteries for electric cars. It replaces a previous joint venture between the Volkswagen Group and QuantumScape for the joint production of battery cells.
A comprehensive, specialized team with experts from both companies will work together on the industrialization. QuantumScape’s technology platform is based on a proprietary solid-state ceramic separator that enables the use of pure lithium metal anodes. This innovation is the key to exceptional energy and power density, high charging speed and a robust safety profile. Together, QuantumScape and PowerCo aim to develop a battery cell that can be used in Volkswagen Group vehicles. PowerCo is currently building a total of three cell factories with a combined capacity of up to 200 gigawatt hours per year: Salzgitter in Germany, Valencia in Spain and St. Thomas in Canada.
