At IAA Mobility 2025 in Munich, QuantumScape and PowerCo SE showcased a groundbreaking Ducati V21L electric motorcycle powered by QuantumScape’s QSE-5 solid-state lithium-metal battery cells. This marks the first real-world vehicle demonstration of QuantumScape’s anode-free solid-state battery technology, highlighting its potential to transform high-performance EVs.
Revolutionary QSE-5 Solid-State Battery Technology
The QSE-5 cells are designed to deliver exceptional energy density, rapid charging, and high-performance capabilities, making them ideal for premium electric motorcycles:
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Energy Density: 844 Wh/L, providing longer range in a compact form factor.
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Fast Charging: Can charge from 10% to 80% in just 12 minutes, drastically reducing downtime.
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High Discharge Rate: Supports continuous 10C discharge, enabling high-performance acceleration.
The battery system integrates QuantumScape’s proprietary Cobra manufacturing process and was developed with engineering support from Audi, ensuring reliability and scalability for future EV applications.
Significance of the Ducati V21L Demonstration
This demonstration represents a milestone in solid-state battery commercialization, bridging the gap from laboratory research to practical vehicle use. The collaboration between QuantumScape, PowerCo, and Ducati aims to scale gigawatt-hour production to meet the automotive industry’s demand for batteries with superior energy density, charging speed, safety, longevity, and cost efficiency.
Dr. Siva Sivaram, CEO and President of QuantumScape, said:
“Today we’ve crossed the threshold from possibility to reality. Our partnership with PowerCo, along with Ducati as our launch partner, positions us to scale this transformative technology to gigawatt-hour production.”
Frank Blome, CEO of PowerCo, added:
“Solid-state batteries will redefine performance possibilities for premium vehicles. Today’s demonstration is just the beginning of a new era in EV innovation.”
Future Prospects
Following its debut, the Ducati V21L prototype will undergo extensive testing on closed circuits to validate performance and safety. This marks an important step toward commercial deployment of solid-state batteries in the automotive and motorcycle sectors.
While commercialization remains in early stages, this achievement underscores significant progress toward delivering faster-charging, safer, and higher-capacity batteries for electric motorcycles and future EVs.
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