At IAA Mobility 2025 in Munich, QuantumScape Corporation and PowerCo SE unveiled the first live vehicle demonstration of their QSE-5 solid-state lithium-metal battery technology integrated into a Ducati V21L race motorcycle. This marks a critical stage in the evolution of anode-free solid-state batteries from lab-scale validation towards real-world application, albeit with ongoing industrial and technical challenges.

The Ducati motorcycle featured QSE-5 cells using QuantumScape’s proprietary Cobra separator manufacturing process, recently integrated into baseline production at the company’s San Jose pilot line. This represents a move from experimental cell assembly to scaled manufacturing, essential for viability but still early in industrialization.

The QSE-5 cells demonstrate a volumetric energy density of 844 Wh/L, charging from 10% to 80% state of charge in approximately 12 minutes, and a continuous discharge capability of 10C. Such specifications, if replicable in mass production and operational environments, would represent a step change over conventional lithium-ion technology in energy density and fast charging.

The system architecture on the Ducati was developed by Audi specialists, indicating the aim to validate solid-state technology under demanding race conditions for high-performance electric vehicles. The demonstration acts as a rigorous proving ground but is only an initial phase in extensive durability and performance testing needed before broader commercialization.

The demonstration underscores significant technical progress but highlights that solid-state battery commercialization is still in early stages with notable technical and industrial challenges ahead.

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