QuantumScape begins low-volume production of first B-sample solid-state cells for OEM testing

QuantumScape released its Q3 2024 business report this afternoon, and the biggest news is an update regarding the progress of its solid-state battery development and production. According to the company, it has begun low-volume production of its initial B-sample cells, which will soon be sent to automotive partners for EV implementation testing.

The decade-plus journey of QuantumScape ($QS) and its quest to develop and scale energy-dense solid-state batteries reached another important milestone today.

Today’s news is part of over four years of particularly exciting progress. First, QS developed a proprietary ceramic separator that enabled single-layer prototype cell testing, followed by 10-layer cells and 16-layer prototypes.

By Q2 2022, QuantumScape’s solid-state technology had expanded to 24 layers in an A0 cell—part of a three-step journey that involves A, B, and C prototype cells undergoing internal and customer testing before entering commercialized production.

By the end of 2022, the company began delivering the first 24-layer A0 prototype cells to automotive partners, and by Q1 2023, testing had been completed by at least one unnamed EV OEM.

Those samples returned better-than-expected results, paving the way for the next wave of solid-state prototype cells called Alpha-2 before fully evolving into QuantumScape’s first commercial product – the QSE-5. Those prototype cells reached customers for testing this past March, paving the way for progress toward evolving into B-Samples.

Today, QuantumScape shared that its B-sample cells have begun low-volume production en route to OEM customers for testing, and their latest battery technology continues to improve in ways the industry has not yet seen before.

QuantumScape offers production updates in Q3 results

QuantumScape just posting its Q3 2024 financial report, which is something we usually cover in detail each quarter, and perhaps we still will. Today’s lede, however, is QuantumScape’s solid-state production update and the specs of its latest prototype, the QSE-5 B.

Per QuantumScape, the B Sample production cell is now underway in low volumes, and it has officially begun shipping these cells for automotive customer testing. The news marks the company’s most important goal for 2024, and we still have more than two-thirds of the final quarter to go.

The company also shared that its B-samples of the QSE-5 solid-state prototype cells offer an energy density of over 800 Wh/L and can fast charge from 10% to 80% in under 15 minutes. The company also stated that, to the best of its knowledge, its cells are the first anode-free solid-state lithium-metal cells ever produced for next-generation automotive applications—a milestone in itself.

As you can see from the graphic above, the B-sample cells offer 21.6 Wh of energy and, thanks to their design, provide drastically reduced volatility at extreme temperatures in either direction. QuantumScape continues to lead the charge (no pun intended) in providing the automotive industry with bonafide solid-state cells through scaled production that will enable EVs to one day drive farther, charge faster, and operate more safely.

This is an exciting saga to follow, and we intend to keep you informed as QS continues to progress. You can tune into the live webcast of QuantumScape’s Q3 2024 earnings at 5 PM ET here.