. . . so says Popular Mechanics . . . but despite my scepticism, $QS is playing the long game as this article points out:
Popular Mechanics headline: A Revolutionary Solid-State Battery Is Nearly Here, Scientists Say
Subheadline: Faster-charging, safer, longer-lasting solid-state batteries are on their way. The only question now is: How soon until we can plug in?
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a40230247/solid-sta…
QuantumScape’s San Jose campus in the heart of Silicon Valley is abuzz with confidence. The battery-technology company’s “QS Campus,” which includes QS-0, QuantumScape’s pre-pilot production line, and three adjacent buildings, is largely dedicated to manufacturing space. The scale of the campus itself and the company’s investment—each building is under a confirmed 10-year lease as of November 2021—signals QuantumScape’s assurance that it will be the first company to market with a solid-state battery for electric vehicles.
QuantumScape claims that you will be able to buy an Audi or Volkswagen with its batteries as soon as 2024, a vehicle that can go nearly 400 miles on a single charge, then recharge in 15 minutes. That capability would grant solid-state EVs a huge advantage over their competitors, which rely on the ubiquitous—but weaker—lithium-ion (Li-on) batteries. All-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) promise prolonged life, faster charge times, and safer chemistry compared to Li-on options, but producing them on the scale needed to power millions of vehicles won’t be easy, despite the billions of dollars already invested in the tech. Companies like QuantumScape are racing to reach the market ahead of other battery-focused outfits like Solid Power in Colorado and ProLogium Technology in Taiwan, as well as giant auto makers like Nissan. The competition begets, maybe even necessitates, bold claims, and QuantumScape isn’t short on those.
The all-solid-state battery at QuantumScape has reportedly weathered what chief marketing officer Asim Hussain calls, by the company’s own measure, “gold standard” testing. The ASSBs have fast-charged their cells (going from 10 to 80 percent in 15 minutes) 400 times consecutively, and some have gone through a total discharge and charge cycle almost 1,000 times. “Traditional lithium-ion cells, or any other solid-state effort to date, couldn’t even come close to that,” Hussain says.