Look out Tesla, Ford, GM, Rivian - here comes Ram Revolution!

[TruckElectric]

The only way anyone is getting 500 miles range and the cargo capacity they need out of a light duty truck is if they have a significantly different design with better technology.

We shall see when they produce the spec's.

Maybe Stellantis has a secret lab and are leapfrogging everyone‘s battery tech?

I doubt that and you do too.

Lots of people wondering if Cybertruck will be classified as a heavy duty truck because of this same problem.

The classification part is up to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

I don't think Tesla wants to promote the CT as a Heavy-Duty P/U though(and they haven't) for various reasons.
So far Tesla hasn't compared the CT to anything other than light-duty trucks and I'm not sure why because in many respects it can hang with the bigger H-D's.

The CT outperforms in spec's all other EV trucks offered so far. Elon likes being top dog in this area and plans to stay that way so maybe that is the reason?

Maybe Tesla has plans(actually I'm almost certain) for an EV truck(s) that will compete in the H-D P/U space. My thinking is Tesla will announce more trucks by 2025 or 2026(I'm not including the EV van here which may be announced later this year).

I don't have a feel yet of Carlos Tavares like I do Elon Musk but from what I've been reading he *seems* to want to a seriously compete in the EV truck space. Ram(ICE) trucks are a money maker for Stellantis and it needs to carry that forward into the EV truck world or they will suffer greatly.

Sponsored

 

[TruckElectric]

I remember years ago Dodge came up with the "Contractor" concept pickup truck that would have an ICE engine and electric motors for "boost". When parked the engine would only run on a few cylinders to power a generator that would provide power for tools that tradesmen would use at jobsites. I was itching to buy one and stopped in at the local Dodge dealer several times only to be told that they had decided not to make that model.

Dodge Ram Contractor Special Doubles Environmental Benefits With Hybrid Powertrain and Clean Auxiliary Power .​

Dodge Ram Contractor​ Photo: DaimlerChrysler​

Auburn Hills/Stuttgart - DaimlerChrysler has developed a hybrid-electric version of its workhorse Dodge Ram pickup that is cleaner and more fuel efficient, while providing enough clean auxiliary power to run a household. On the road, this all-new hybrid vehicle achieves 15 percent better fuel efficiency, lower emissions and better performance than the comparably-powered conventional Ram. Off the road, the vehicle can be converted to a stationary electrical generator to deliver up to 20 kW of power for work, recreation or home uses. The vehicle's gasoline engine is much cleaner than portable generators, which are not controlled by any emissions regulations. "We dubbed this vehicle the 'Contractor Special' because it is perfect for construction site work, but we believe the vehicle will also appeal to campers and outdoor enthusiasts, to farmers who have to work on remote sites, and to homeowners who need to keep their households running in the case of a power failure," said Bernard I. Robertson, Senior Vice President – Engineering Technologies and General Manager - Truck Operations for DaimlerChrysler. "In addition to doubling as a portable generator, the Dodge Ram Contractor Special delivers double the environmental benefits," Robertson added. "It is cleaner than any conventional pickup on the road, and cleaner than current generator technology off the road." The Contractor Special package is intended for the Ram 1500 and 2500 models, in both the two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive versions. Gas-electric and diesel-electric powertrains are available, depending on the choice of engine. The vehicles can be operated in gasoline/diesel-only and electric-only modes, as well as the hybrid configuration. Production is targeted for calendar year 2004. The Contractor Specials are anticipated to cost about $5,000 more than the conventional Ram – a cost-effective package since comparable portable generator capacity would typically cost $10,000 to $15,000. The clean electrical generator will add about 250-300 pounds to the vehicle's weight, compared with 2,500 pounds or more for a portable generator. The Contractor Special generator is accessed through electrical sockets in a pull-down box behind the rear fender. The generator on the Contractor Special will be much cleaner than conventional portable generators, because it will be powered by the vehicle's clean hybrid powertrain. Currently, the Ram can be equipped with 3.9, 5.2 and 5.9 liter gasoline engines and a 5.9 diesel engine. A 8.0 liter, V-10 is also available. The hybrid powertrain, with electric motor assist, permits use of a smaller internal combustion engine, thus lowering emissions and increasing fuel efficiency compared with a comparably-powered conventional Ram. The hybrid versions outperform their comparably powered conventional counterparts; for example, the 5.2 liter gas-electric motor hybrid can do 0-60 mph in 10.0 seconds and achieves fuel efficiency of 18 mpg vs. 10.6 seconds 0-60 mph and 16 mpg for the 5.9 liter gas-powered pickups. And because a smaller displacement internal combustion engine is used, emissions are lower. The Dodge Ram Contractor Special hybrid is the most recent addition to DaimlerChrysler's fleet of clean, fuel efficient vehicles. In recent weeks, DaimlerChrysler has: Created a Hybrid Electric Vehicle Engineering platform. Revealed plans to produce and market in 2003 a hybrid electric version of the Dodge Durango SUV, with 20 percent improved fuel economy. Purchased Global Electric MotorCars, LLC (GEM) of Fargo, North Dakota, the largest U.S. producer of electric vehicles for use on public roads. DaimlerChrysler is the first major automaker to sell Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs) in the United States. Achieved sales of more than half a million alternate fuel vehicles in the past three years, including CNG and E85-powered vehicles. Unveiled the Jeep Commander 2, a luxury SUV with a fuel cell-hybrid electric powertrain that achieves near-zero tailpipe emissions and up to double the fuel efficiency of a comparable gas-powered SUV. Delivered two versions of the NECAR 4 and the DaimlerChrysler NEBUS to the California Fuel Cell Partnership in Sacramento as part of a fuel cell vehicle demonstration program. Unveiled the fifth-generation fuel cell passenger car, the NECAR 5, using methanol in an advanced fuel cell powertrain. (Nov. 8, 2000)

 

[Ogre]

The classification part is up to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

I don't think Tesla wants to promote the CT as a Heavy-Duty P/U though(and they haven't) for various reasons.
So far Tesla hasn't compared the CT to anything other than light-duty trucks and I'm not sure why because in many respects it can hang with the bigger H-D's.

The HD rating is a pretty straight forward weight based calculation. Unless they make some EV exception if they cross a gross vehicle weight threshold they are more or less automatically considered Heavy Duty.

I agree with you that Tesla seems to be positioning it as Light Duty. What I’m not sure about is why Tesla would care about whether it’s an Heavy Duty or Light Duty rated truck. It’s not like parts of Europe where you need a different license to drive a bigger truck.

I don't have a feel yet of Carlos Tavares like I do Elon Musk but from what I've been reading he *seems* to want to a seriously compete in the EV truck space. Ram(ICE) trucks are a money maker for Stellantis and it needs to carry that forward into the EV truck world or they will suffer greatly.

Ram needs to be competitive in the EV truck market. They can’t just skip this boat. I think Ram management finally realizes this.

Right now Ram is promising something which requires technology, expertise, and raw materials which I don’t think they have access to. You seem to be on the same page as I am on this, doesn’t seem likely.

 

[TruckElectric]

Could Ram be built with Solid State batteries? It could explain their late appearance. And I’ve heard that Quantum Scape is going to launch production of these batteries by 2024 and got a contract with another top 10 carmaker.
Just wild thoughts....

Last I heard the SSB's won't be out until around 2028? But that may have changed? I know I read it somewhere.....

Maybe things have changed hence the 2024 release of Ram Revolution?

Stellantis & Factorial Energy To Jointly Develop Solid-State Batteries For Electric Vehicles!
New Battery Technology, Could Bridge The Gap In Range With Gasoline Engines...
https://moparinsiders.com/stellanti...-solid-state-batteries-for-electric-vehicles/

Factorial Energy website:
https://factorialenergy.com/

Factorial’s Solution
Factorial Energy has invested heavily in solid-state battery research over the past 6 years.

Our process is practical, customer-driven, and electrode agnostic, and has yielded the world’s first commercial scale, balanced performance-profile solid-state cell.

The system, developed in conjunction with several of the world’s largest auto OEMs and cell manufacturers, delivers on the promises of solid-state performance without fatal defects found in iterations of the technology to date. The technology will debut in the high spec market as a proving ground for its performance and manufacturability.

 

[Ogre]

What do you think is realistic for Ram? Do they have to take 500 miles off the table to deliver a truck in 2024?

I think what GM and Ford shipped is a realistic estimate of what Ram will produce.

Maybe a bit better since they have 2 more years runway, but the claims they are making seem pretty far out there.

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

Vaporware, generally refers to a highly anticipated launch which is late or misses multiple deadlines. The Cybertruck is really the only truck which fits vaguely into that category. Ram hasn’t missed any deadlines.

Even if you want to extend the meaning to refer to hyped a products which a company might not be able to ship. It’s not really “The competition“ so much as just Ram. Toyota has teased a truck but they haven’t put any specs out there. Everyone else seems to be in about the same phase of production as Tesla or further along.

Ford has multiple prototypes and is likely to start shipping very soon. GM is producing “Trucks” right now and has a prototype Silverado (I think). VW isn’t really pumping a truck right now.

Vaporware is about marketing something that doesn't exist. Stellantis is free to market something when they at least have a real prototype to show the world but, as mentioned earlier, and from our own experience with the CT, they would be better off keeping their big mouths shut until they are very close to ready to sell their amazing whatever.

 

[jerhenderson]

Yes, you are right, but would you hire 600 employees and lease four buildings in San Jose? Buy tons of needed equipment and sign contracts with 3-4 carmakers in the list of top 10 in the world? And starting to build a joint venture with VW???
It sounds kind of stupid to promise 2024 as a year when they mass-scale manufacture and start selling batteries worldwide.
PS, to be honest, I have no idea how far they are in SSB. I just read some articles on the internet and their website. It could take ten more years, but I am glad that we are moving in this direction. I still have a grand of salt because if it was so cool as QS promised, why does Tesla still not work on SSB? Why would Tesla invest millions of dollars on 4680 instead of SSB? As I know, SSB cannot be used in a cylindrical form because the solid separator is not so flexible. It could be bent a little bit but it is still ceramic based.

even Dyson gave up on SSB.

 

[TruckElectric]

“The resulting composite cathode delivered promising performance, hitting an area capacity above 8 mAh/cm2 within a wide range of voltages up to 4.4 V. This is expected to be used to manufacture solid-state batteries with an energy density of 500 watt-hours per kilogram (Wh/kg), easily beating the 100-265 Wh/kg energy density offered by contemporary lithium ion batteries.“

Re-jigged cathode recipe gives new hope to solid-state batteries for electric vehicles
by Tsinghua University Press

Researchers designed solid-state composite electrodes based on the liquid-phase sintering technique. Credit: Nano Research

Solid-state batteries for electric vehicles, offering greater energy density and range than contemporary lithium-ion batteries, remain out of reach, not least due to challenges coming from the composition of the battery's cathode. A new cathode composition and accompanying manufacturing technique looks set to overcome this hurdle.

A paper describing the manufacturing process appeared in the journal Nano Research on Mar. 24.

Rechargeable solid-state batteries (ones that are completely solid, with no liquid components) have long been sought as the next generation of energy storage, not least for electric vehicles and other climate mitigation applications. They would be lighter, more energy dense, offering greater range and faster recharging than the current generation of lithium-ion batteries.

The liquid electrolyte used in the latter is the medium through which current flows between the positive and negative electrodes (the cathode and anode, respectively). But the liquid makes the battery heavy. It's also flammable and fires are not an uncommon occurrence. In a solid-state battery, a solid electrolyte made of ceramic, glass or a polymer is much safer as there are no leaks or splashing about while in transit, and offers improved power density, cyclability and shelf life.

Key to making solid-state batteries work is designing a good cathode that it is capable of a high operating voltage and high area capacity. The latter term describes the amount of energy charge in a battery per unit of area for a given period of time. The unit commonly used to describe this quantity is the milliampere-hour (mAh)—or the amount of energy charge that will allow one amp of current to flow for an hour—compared to a given amount of area (typically measured in square centimeters, or cm2). In essence, this measurement, mAh/cm2, offers an indication of how long a battery will last without having to recharge it, for the amount of space it takes up in a device.

"Most of the composite cathode manufacturing technologies that have been explored so far result in batteries that do not even match the performance of existing commercial batteries, let alone exceed them, hitting around 3 mAh/cm2," said Jizhang Chen of the College of Materials Science and Engineering at Nanjing Forestry University and lead author of the paper.

These cathode technologies also suffer from the need for the addition of an excessive amount of binders and conductive agents to ensure that all the active particles are uniformly spread out. This reduces the density of the cathode, increases the cost, and also produces a great deal of resistance at the interface of the cathode and electrode.

So the researchers developed a novel cathode composition and accompanying manufacturing technique that overcomes these challenges while offering a high area capacity. The quantity of binders and conductive agents, in this case lithium hydroxide and boric acid, added is substantially reduced (down to about four percent of the overall weight). These are used as additives in the sintering process during cathode formation.

Sintering is a method of compacting a powder into a solid mass via heat or pressure without melting it to the point of becoming a liquid. In this case however, there remains a liquid phase for at least some components while others remain powder in order to give a boost to the bonding between particles.

The lithium hydroxide and boric acid, with their low melting points, infiltrate as liquids into a powder of a nickel-rich lithium compound (LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1, or "NMC811") at a moderately elevated temperature (around 350℃). This not only enables intimate physical contact between the powder particles, it also reduces the need for a high quantity of additives and promotes a densification process.

The resulting composite cathode delivered promising performance, hitting an area capacity above 8 mAh/cm2 within a wide range of voltages up to 4.4 V. This is expected to be used to manufacture solid-state batteries with an energy density of 500 watt-hours per kilogram (Wh/kg), easily beating the 100-265 Wh/kg energy density offered by contemporary lithium ion batteries.

https://phys.org/news/2022-03-re-jigged-cathode-recipe-solid-state-batteries.html


Li-Metal Gets Grant To Advance Lithium Metal Solid-State Batteries
https://cleantechnica.com/2022/05/0...-advance-lithium-metal-solid-state-batteries/

 

[happy intruder]

Not yet, you are right. But Quantum Scape Is building a plant, bought a lot of equipment, and spent tons of money on it. They have already hired around 600 employees, and leased for 10 years 3-4 buildings in San Jose, CA. I do not follow them, and my data could be a little bit old. But I know for sure that they are the only ones who tested 16 layers of Solid-State Battery and provided all data. Many companies claimed they had made the same progress, but no one provided open data and gave it to a third party for independent testing.
I will read some news about QS tomorrow if I have some time. It got me interested.

just being in the San Jose area means it gonna cost a fortune no matter what vehicle it goes into

 

[firsttruck]

Yes, you are right, but would you hire 600 employees and lease four buildings in San Jose?

YES, they would.

How much of these supposed costs get laundered back to the Saudis, Qatars, etc?

Buy tons of needed equipment and sign contracts with 3-4 carmakers in the list of top 10 in the world? And starting to build a joint venture with VW???

YES, they would.

In 2018 Elon thought he had a deal with the Saudis. Did the Saudis deliberately deceive Elon?
Did Saudis and their cronies short Tesla stock during that incident?

Elon Musk privately raged at Saudi officials over his failed plan to take Tesla private.
Elon Musk raged at the head of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund for failing to back his bid to take Tesla private in 2018.
By Andrew J. Hawkins
25 abr 2022
https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/25/23040961/elon-musk-saudi-pif-texts-tesla-private-lawsuit

------------------------

The $20 Billion Winner of the American EV Startup Boom: Saudi Arabia World’s largest exporter of oil made well-timed bet on Lucid Motors
— The kingdom of Saudi Arabia stands to record a profit of nearly $20 billion on a $2.9 billion investment in Lucid Motors Inc., ...
19 jul 2021
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-20...ican-ev-startup-boom-saudi-arabia-11626687002

------------------------

[Business, 2022] - Saudi Aramco announces full year net profit of $110 billion.
Published Mar 20 2022
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/20/sau...-more-than-doubles-on-soaring-oil-prices.html

------

That is just what Saudi Aramco publicly reports AFTER padding/inflating costs to skim a huge share of profits to put in pockets of Saudi royal family and corrupt murderous cronies.

And that net profit of $110 billion was just Saudi Aramco. Other crude oil sources including Russia/Putin stand to gain 10s billions each year the transition is delayed. Besides money they all maintain major power over large parts of the world economy. The power to strangle the world economy is more directly usable than Russia/Putin's nukes.
No fossil fuel profits and NO EU dependency on Russia/Putin energy resources, NO Ukraine invasion.

Every year the transition to sustainable transportation is delayed makes extra 10s of billions of profit.

Spending even a couple Billion propping up a few sham companies that later fail slows the transition by making governments, banks, investors more risk adverse, likely to spend less on the transition, which slows the transition. remember the Saudi's and other huge investors really won't lose the billion investment because they will sell their stake before the fraud is complete so the government and retail investors will be the real sucker losers.

Based on the size of Saudi Arabia's market it is NOT believable that Saudis are going to buy even 50K ( no less 100K) Lucid luxury cars costing $80K+.

------------------------

Saudi sovereign wealth fund. The Public Investment Fund (PIF), which currently holds a nearly 62% stake in Lucid, had invested more than $1 billion in the company in 2018 for a substantial stake and increased its investment in February 2021.
https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/saudi-pif-held-nearly-56-bln-us-listed-stocks-december-2021-2022-02-15/#:~:text=The Public Investment Fund (PIF,its investment in February 2021.

------------------------

Luxury EV maker Lucid scores order from Saudi government for up to 100,000 vehicles Published Tue, Apr 26 2022
By John Rosevear
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/26/lucid-to-deliver-up-to-100000-evs-to-saudi-arabia-government.html

------------------------

** Lucid has only built around 400 cars. Lucid CEO already made more than quarter of billion dollars. How much did the Saudis and other insiders already make back?

Lucid CEO Got Half of $566 Million Award Before Shares Fell 67%
Peter Rawlinson gets $263 million in performance-based stock
Electric carmaker’s shares have tumbled since November peak
By Scott Carpenter
April 28, 2022
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...lf-of-566-million-award-before-shares-fell-67

------------------------

population of United States (2020) 329.5 millon, 2021, 3.3 million autos and 11.6 million light truck units.
population of Saudi Arabia (2020) 34.81 million, Motor Vehicles Sales (2005-2021), averaged number of 556,559 units.

The most sold car in Saudi Arabia in 2021?
Toyota Camry 33,420 units
Hyundai Elantra 24,898
Toyota Yaris 24,545
Toyota Hilux 21,838
4 feb 2022
https://www.focus2move.com › saudi-arabia-auto-market

------------------------

Lucid Dream Edition $171K base price
Lucid Touring $96K base price
Lucid Pure $79K base price

------------------------

U.S. large luxury car sales by model 2019
US Best Selling Large Luxury Cars, Year 2019
Model Units
Tesla Model S (EV) 14,425 ( $95K base price)
Mercedes-Benz S-Class 12,503 ( $88K base price)
BMW 7-Series 8,823 ( $87K base price)
Porsche Panamera 6,625 ( $90K base price)
Lexus LS 5,528 ( $76K base price)
Audi A8 2,963
Genesis G90 2,239
BMW 6-Series 1,139
Jaguar XJ 1,072
Kia K900 392
Porsche Taycan (EV) 130
∑ = 55,839
https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2019-us-large-luxury-car-sales-figures/


------------

 

[ÆCIII]

…
Was this sarcasm?
I’m not entirely sure because Tesla has a catchy name… just no over-paid marketing department.

Not one bit of scarcasm. If you read carefully, I wrote "model name" (not brand name). The Tesla brand name was decided over a decade ago, so it is not used to hype-emphasize any particular model. What I was talking about was the hype-emphasis that legacy auto feels they emotionally have to do for each model, because of the marketing mentality and the money they spend on advertising and marketing.

While Tesla or Elon does have some fun with the model letter identifiers (S≡XY), there isn't any great concern to generate hype for each car model name. They just let the car model's ownership experience generate credibility and reputation on its own through owner youtube videos, social media, etc. So, instead of hype advertising, Tesla lets the owners hype their products to whatever level is felt deserved.

Of course Tesla did name the Cybertruck what it's called, but I'd be willing to bet if Tesla hadn't even named it, the community would've most likely called it something like that, because it exemplifies that name actually already. And it's widely known that Elon was also having fun referencing the movie Bladerunner theme when considering development of the Cybertruck. One could argue that name is sort of a hype label too, but I again think the vehicle would elicit or draw out that name from people anyway, because it simply evokes that reference. By contrast, legacy auto advertising attempts to hype a reference or name by advertising impressions, rather than letting the substance of the vehicle evoke word of mouth advertising from users.

I say that only a company who's truly confident in and really secure about their product , can let the products speak for themselves in this way. But to me this is also a substance and quality self generating philosophy, because if a company doesn't spend the money for advertising and hype, doesn't spend the money on middlemen, they can actually redirect that back into the substance and quality of the car for the people if their mission is genuine. Tesla is the only company I've ever seen that has been able to do this.

So, for model names to be a hype-advertising label of a product? - I'm so over that.

- ÆCIII

 

[Ogre]

I don’t think Ram Revolution is any more pretentious than Cybertruck.

Their advertising and premature claims? Yeah, that’s the product of their marketing team, but the name itself is solid.

 

[SparkChaser]

It is all vapor until the vehicle is in your hands. Lots of claims and promises. Until they can be verified by driving it and or reported , like Monroe, then I take all of it with a handful of salt.

 

[Ogre]

It is all vapor until the vehicle is in your hands. Lots of claims and promises. Until they can be verified by driving it and or reported , like Monroe, then I take all of it with a handful of salt.

Yes.

But the term Vaporware has history and a meaning based on that history.

A huge number of products get pre-announced. That doesn’t make them Vaporware.

Tesla’s Robotaxi/ $25k car/ Model 2 whatever is an idea, there is no prototype that we know of, it is not vaporware because Tesla hasn’t even set a launch date. At this point we’re not even sure it’ll be for sale to consumers anymore.

Ram Revolution is in the same boat.

 

[Deleted member 5322]

QuantumScape update: Solid-state cells will cut EV charging time in half and increase volumetric density over 50%
Scooter Doll - Apr. 26th 2022 4:51 pm @SCOOTERDOLL

Comments
In a letter to shareholders outlining its progress through Q1 of 2022, solid-state battery manufacturer QuantumScape has shared some exciting updates. These include a new 16-layer, solid-state cell – an initial proof of concept of the company’s proprietary cell format. Additionally, QuantumScape shared news of scaled manufacturing and plans for increased production capacity. There’s lots to unfold here, so let’s hop in.

Table of contents

• Quick recap
• The latest QuantumScape updates
  • The 16-layer solid-state cell
  • Manufacturing scaled up
  • QuantumScape can offer updates to battery power and energy

Quick recap
QuantumScape ($QS) is a battery technology company founded in 2010 with the goal of developing scalable, effective solid-state batteries.
In December of 2020, the battery developer announced it had reached a “major breakthrough” in its technology by utilizing a ceramic separator, leading to the successful testing of single-layer prototype cells. After doubling the size of its initial pilot manufacturing line, Quantumscape revealed it had also developed a 10-layer cell.
In February, QuantumScape shared another industry first with a single-layer cell that completed 400 consecutive 15-minute fast-charge cycles, replenishing from 10% to 80% capacity while still retaining over 80% of its initial energy.
In its latest Q1 letter to shareholders, QuantumScape has continued its momentum with a bunch of additional solid-state updates.

Source: QuantumScapeThe latest QuantumScape updates
The following information was taken from QuantumScape’s quarterly letter to shareholders recapping Q1 of 2022. The details can be rather … dense, so we recommend checking out the full letter for yourself, but here are some of the key takeaways.
The 16-layer solid-state cell
Continuing its trend of developing and testing multi-layered cells that perform under the company’s “gold standard” conditions, QuantumScape shared that it has developed a 16-layer solid-state battery cell that has already endured over 500 charge cycles. So far, the cell’s energy retention and cycling have behaved similarly to the cells that came before it (see graphic above).
In addition to containing more layers, this new cell is the first to showcase QuantumScape’s proprietary cell architecture, which is flexible enough to support an anode-free format. The company describes this initial cell as “an encouraging proof of concept” for the flexible format but admits much work still needs to be done before it can truly be commercialized.
Manufacturing scaled up
QuantumScape also offered updates to the scale of its operations, including a ramping up of separator production – a key goal for 2022 to reach weekly starts over 8,000. This past quarter, the company recorded average weekly starts over 3,700, up from 2,000 in Q4 of 2021.
This increase was made possible by QuantumScape’s updates to production tooling on its Phase 1 engineering line. Speaking of which, the battery developer also shared a detailed strategy of its initial scaling of production capacity. It consists of three planned phases:

• Phase 1 Engineering Line – QuantumScape’s current core of development capabilities to date (supports R&D, process development, and pre-A sample customer sampling)
• Phase 2 Engineering Line – Builds upon the capabilities of Phase 1 but integrates larger-scale equipment with higher levels of automation
• QS-0 Pre-Pilot Production Line – Planned to feature film production in large continuous kilns with automated film handling and cell assembly
  • This line remains on track to produce candidate B-sample cells in 2023 (B samples are made using production processes).

We can explain the rest, but QuantumScape offers its own production line updates best:

In Q2, we aim to complete production qualification for the majority of the tooling for the Phase 2 engineering line, including automated cell assembly tools, ultrasonic welders and cell testing systems. We continue to target delivery of A-sample cells to at least one customer in 2022. The A sample is planned to have dozens of layers and is intended to demonstrate the core functionality of the battery cells.

QuantumScape can offer updates to battery power and energy
In the letter, QuantumScape admits it does not believe it’s possible to improve both the power and energy of battery cells simultaneously given their current chemistry. However, its solid-state lithium-metal technology offers the potential to improve both. Not just simultaneously, but dramatically (see graph above).
According to QuantumScape, it has five consumer sampling agreements, three of which are with top-10 automotive OEMs, one of which has already reserved at least 5 MWh of capacity on the QS-0 pre-production line. Here’s another update as it pertains to automakers actually testing solid-state batteries:

We have shipped multiple generations of cells to various customers across automotive and other applications. In Q1, our 10-layer cells were successfully tested by one automotive customer and entered the testing phase with another. These intermediate steps represent concrete progress toward our goal of shipping A sample cells in 2022.

We know that one of those automakers is Porsche, which is owned by Volkswagen Group, an early funder of QuantumScape. The rest of the letter is financials, which aren’t too important right now as the company’s products are still very much in the developmental phase.
These are big goals for QuantumScape for 2022, but its latest updates provide evidence that the company continues to scale and improve its solid-state battery technology. Until next quarter!

https://electrek.co/2022/04/26/quan...olid-state-cell-and-scaled-manufacturing/amp/

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