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Fears of a global downslide in EV sales dominated the headlines just a few months ago, only to wilt under the glaring spotlight of actual facts. Sales are up and automotive stakeholders aim to keep it that way, by introducing new and improved EV batteries to attract new EV-curious drivers. The latest example is a blockbuster deal between the US solid-state EV battery innovator QuantumScape and PowerCo, the electrification division of Volkswagen.
Why Is Everybody Talking About The New Solid-State EV Battery?
“Solid-state” has a auto industry jargon-y ring to it, but the idea is easy enough to grasp. Replace the volatile liquid electrolyte in an EV battery with a gel or some kind of solid material that eliminates fire hazards while delivering longer range and faster charging, and auto buyers will beat a path to your door (see more solid-state background here).
That explains why auto industry stakeholders have been pouring dollars into solid-state EV battery R&D, even though connecting the technology dots has been a decade-long task. As of last year, some industry observers were anticipating that the solid-state EV battery of the future would not happen until 2030 at the earliest.
Well, that was last year. The solid-state EV battery timeline has shifted, partly because some innovators have introduced hybrid or semi-solid variations on the theme.
In January, CleanTechnica noted that multiple solid-state battery gigafactories are already in the pipeline, and now here comes Volkwagen’s PowerCo division with yet another one, under a new manufacturing agreement with QuantumScape.
The QuantumScape–Volkswagen PowerCo EV Battery Hookup
QuantumScape is a good representative of the slow, then fast, pace of solid-state battery commercialization. The company first hit the CleanTechnica radar almost 10 years ago. Things seemed fairly quiet until PowerCo entered the scene.
“Volkswagen leveled up its EV battery business in 2022 with its new in-house PowerCo branch, and they have been rather busy since then,” CleanTechnica observed in January. “In the latest development, PowerCo put a new solid-state battery from QuantumScape through its paces. It passed with flying colors, bringing the solid-state battery of the future one step closer to now.”
That was just a few months ago, and the latest development is a big one. On July 11, QuantumScape announced a “groundbreaking” agreement with PowerCo for high-volume production of its lithium-metal solid-state EV battery. The initial goal is 40 gigawatt-hours’ worth of batteries per year with an option to expand to as much as 80 gigawatt-hours, which QuantumScape estimates is enough to account for one million EVS per year.
Take that, haters. The new agreement, which replaces an earlier co-production arrangement, puts together a single, integrated scale-up team in the hands of PowerCo, to vault the manufacturing process into gigawatt-scale. No word yet on the timeline and location of the new factory, so stay tuned for more on that.
How Solid Is A Solid-State EV Battery?
If you’re guessing that QuantumScape is on Team Semi-Solid, that’s a good guess. The company has posted some handy FAQs on its website that describes how and why the new EV battery combines both solid and non-solid elements, using earth-abundant materials while eliminating fire risks.
“Most of the benefits of solid-state stem from the ability to use lithium metal as the anode. Using lithium-metal as the anode requires a solid-state separator that prevents dendrites and does not react with lithium,” QuantumScape elaborates. “Once you have such a separator, you can use lithium-metal as the anode and realize the benefits of higher energy density, faster charge, and improved life and safety.”
“QuantumScape couples this solid-state ceramic separator with an organic liquid electrolyte for the cathode (catholyte),” the company adds. “The ceramic separator also enables our battery design to use a customized catholyte material, better suited for the voltage and transport requirements of the cathode.”
If you caught that thing about dendrites, that refers to fern-like growths that emerge in rechargeable batteries over time, interfering with performance. Though typically characteristic of conventional lithium-ion batteries with liquid electrolytes, dendrites can also form in other battery technologies, including solid-state batteries, which explains why battery innovators pay close attention to building dendrite-thwarting systems into their batteries.
Solid-State EV Battery Or Not, Vehicle Electrification Is Better Than Sitting In The Dark
Of course, nothing would be happening in the solid-state EV battery field without strong public policies that support vehicle electrification. Here in the US as elsewhere around the globe, that includes government policies supporting a domestic EV manufacturing ecosystem.
The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act has done a good job of onshoring, including batteries, but CleanTechnica editor Zachery Shahan has also noted that policy alone is not enough. Legacy automakers in the US also need to step up their EV sales game in order to accelerate the pace of scale-up.
A more consistently EV-friendly consumer culture would also help. US automakers have limited control over that, though some recent EV news from NASCAR indicates that the motorsports industry could help win more hearts and minds in the coming years.
Climate Change & The Electric Vehicle As A Mini-Grid
The looming climate crisis is another factor that can get the US public to think more about the connection between an EV battery and their personal well-being. The most recent demonstration came from Hurricane Beryl, which slammed into Texas after ripping through the Caribbean and Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. Four days later, millions of Texas residents are still struggling with power loss and other impacts in the midst of a heat wave.
That’s where electric vehicles can shine. An EV battery with bi-directional charging capability can serve as a zero emission generator, providing enough electricity to run household appliances. EV drivers can also spend hours in their car with the AC on, without contributing to local air pollution.
In addition, households with rooftop solar arrays left undamaged by the storm can scavenge additional juice to run their car and/or household appliances as the days roll by, as described by comments on social media, reddit, and other forums.
In contrast, gas stations can’t pump gas until power is restored, leaving ICE owners to wait in long lines for the few stations with power. Gas-powered household emergency generators also need to be gassed up eventually, leading to the same problem.
This would be a good time to mention that the Republican “Project 2025” plan for a second Trump term in office rips the rug right out from under the Biden administration’s climate policies, including onshoring, renewable energy, and electric vehicles among many other drastic measures.
Many summaries of Project 2025 are available online, including one zeroing in on the EV battery field by Levi Tillemann of the US battery firm Ample. Or, give the 922-page document a read yourself. It’s a production of the Heritage Foundation, which has posted the pdf, free for viewing as part of their misleadingly named “Mandate for Leadership” web page.
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Image: The US EV battery innovator QuantumScape is ready for gigawatt-scale production of its new solid state battery under a new manufacturing agreement with the PowerCo branch of Volkswagen (courtesy of QuantumScape).
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