Volkswagen has made significant progress in its EV battery business by establishing the PowerCo branch. Recently, PowerCo successfully tested a new solid state battery developed by QuantumScape, which brings us closer to the future of solid state battery technology.
Volkswagen has tested a solid state battery cell made up of 24 layers, which is the configuration they plan to use for mass production. The next stage is to refine and expand the manufacturing processes.
Volkswagen expressed great enthusiasm in announcing the test results, stating that QuantumScape, a U.S. company, has achieved a significant milestone. PowerCo has confirmed that their solid-state cell has surpassed the expectations in the A-sample test and has successfully undergone over 1,000 charging cycles.
According to the researchers, an electric car with a WLTP range of 500-600 kilometers can travel over half a million kilometers without significant deterioration in its battery capacity. They found that even after the test, the solid state battery still retained 95 percent of its capacity.
In the latest test, QuantumScape’s solid-state cell performed much better than expected in terms of charging cycles and maximum capacity loss.
Half a million kilometers is equal to about 310,685.596 miles. In the United States, the highest average annual mileage among different demographic groups is approximately 19,000 miles per year. This means that driving half a million kilometers is equivalent to driving for 16 years based on this average.
The average car ownership in the US is currently 8.4 years, according to Kelley Blue Book. Therefore, if a car’s battery lasts for 311,000 miles, it is probable that a driver would sell their car before the battery deteriorates.
Reference- The Verge, Inside EVs, Interesting Engineering, PowerCo Online Newsroom