Volkswagen to produce one million solid-state batteries per year

Volkswagen’s PowerCo subsidiary has announced an agreement with QuantumScape to produce solid-state batteries for electric vehicles.

PowerCo, the Volkswagen Group’s battery subsidiary, and QuantumScape have announced the signing of an agreement for the large-scale production of solid batteriesand more specifically solid-state lithium-metal batteries, also called solid-state lithium-metal batteries.

A production capacity of 80 GWh per year

This non-exclusive partnership will allow PowerCo to produce up to 40 GWh solid-state batteries per year using QuantumScape technology, with the potential to scale up production capacity to 80 GWh per year, which will allowequip one million electric vehicles each year environ.
“Electric vehicles are the future of mobility, and through this agreement with QuantumScape, Volkswagen Group is ensuring its global fleet has access to this revolutionary battery technology for years to come.”said Thomas Schmall, Volkswagen Group Board of Management Member for Technology: “We are determined to evolve the sector in order to establish our electric vehicles as true benchmarks of excellence and sustainability.”
This collaboration will enable the efficient production of solid-state batteries on a large scale, and meet a growing demand for more efficient batteries for electric cars worldwide. This agreement takes over from the joint venture established between Volkswagen and QuantumScape to manufacture batteries.

Innovative solid batteries

QuantumScape’s solid-state battery technology is based on a innovation majeure of the company: theceramic solid electrolytewhich acts as a separator. Thanks to it, the battery can be equipped with a pure lithium anode, which offers better power and energy density, faster charging, as well as a very good level of safety. The two companies will offer mass produced batteriesin order to be integrated into the Volkswagen Group’s vehicle range.
This partnership aims to offer PowerCo customers the most durable and innovative battery cells on the market : “We have been working with QuantumScape and testing prototype cells for a number of years and are looking forward to bringing this future-proof technology into mass production. QuantumScape technology is about to enter a critical phase where PowerCo’s expertise, resources and global manufacturing network will help integrate it into an industrial-scale production process.”precisely Frank Blome, CEO of PowerCo.

The agreement also provides for the establishment of close collaboration, with a pooling of staff between the two companies: it takes advantage of QuantumScape’s technology and PowerCo’s large-scale production capabilities.