Solid-state battery breakthrough could boost production by 25 times

QuantumScape, a solid-state battery developer, has announced a significant manufacturing breakthrough with the integration of its new "Cobra" process into the QS-0 assembly line. This process accelerates a critical heat-treatment step—sintering of the proprietary ceramic separator material—by approximately 25 times compared to the previous "Raptor" method. Besides the dramatic speed increase, Cobra also reduces the physical space required per unit, addressing key challenges in scaling up production for gigawatt-hour scale solid-state lithium-metal battery manufacturing. This advancement is crucial for improving throughput, reducing costs, and enabling the design of scalable gigafactory production lines. With Cobra now established as the production baseline, QuantumScape is advancing to produce its next-generation B-sample cells, which are more mature prototypes used for extensive testing and validation in the automotive industry before mass production approval. The company aims to leverage the improved speed and efficiency of Cobra to support higher-volume production and move closer to commercial readiness. CEO Dr.