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QuantumScape and Volkswagen’s PowerCo Stage First Public Solid‑State Battery Run in Ducati at IAA Mobility

The live ride signals a move from lab validation toward scale-up under PowerCo’s expanded licensing deal that funds near-term manufacturing milestones.

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A Ducati bike powered by solid state battery technology.
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Overview

  • A modified Ducati V21L crossed Volkswagen Group’s Munich stage powered by QuantumScape QSE-5 anode-free cells built with the company’s Cobra separator process, marking the first public vehicle demo of its technology.
  • QuantumScape cited performance figures for the cells of 844 Wh/L energy density, roughly 12 minutes to charge from 10% to 80%, and 10C continuous discharge, which remain company-reported metrics.
  • The demonstration bike used a first-of-its-kind battery system engineered by VW Group-owned Audi specifically for QuantumScape’s solid-state cells.
  • PowerCo’s non-exclusive collaboration with QuantumScape includes up to $131 million in milestone-based payments over two years as the partners work on manufacturing scale-up and higher-volume prototype deliveries.
  • Shares of QuantumScape jumped intraday by roughly 20% to 36% after the demo, while analysts note mass production timelines, cost targets, and factory scaling are still uncertain and at least months to a year or more away.