Federal policy makers orchestrated an EV sales crash in the US last year, only to see electrification stakeholders gradually piece together a comeback focusing on cars that hit the affordability MSRP of $30,000 or less. New, higher-performing solid-state EV batteries are also inching their way into the market, the US startup Quantumscape contributing some fresh news.

As commonly understood, a solid-state battery replaces the liquid electrolyte of a conventional lithium-ion battery with a solid material.

High tech ceramics have emerged as one of the options (see more solid-state background here). If that sounds like a deep electrochemical challenge, its is. Nevertheless, science loves a challenge, and so do electrification stakeholders who are determined to sharpen the contrast between EVs and gasmobiles. Compared to the current generation of EV batteries, solid-state technology meets a higher bar for energy density and other performance benchmarks, while avoiding the use of volatile chemicals.

Quantumscape is among the solid-state innovators to untangle at least part of the solid-state puzzle. The company launched in 2010 and it surfaced on the CleanTechnica radar in 2012, when Volkswagen dropped word of its interest in the solid-state forumula.

Quantumscape is known for its lithium-metal batteries, where the focus is on the separator, a layer that acts as a buffer for the liquid electrolyte in conventional batteries. While not 100% solid, the lithium-metal formula represents represents a significant step towards the next generation of EV batteries.

replaces the polymer separator used in conventional lithium-ion batteries with a solid-state separator. The replacement of the separator enables the carbon or silicon anode used in conventional lithium-ion batteries to be replaced with a lithium-metal anode,” QS explains.

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