Many MindedQuantumScape's Osprey cell drops liquid from the cathode and the pressure from the test
QuantumScape has announced Osprey, a platform that swaps the liquid catholyte in its cathode for a solid sulfide electrolyte, making the cell fully solid-state. The company reports a 2-layer Osprey cell completed 1,000 full cycles to about 80% capacity at 1 atm and 30°C, charging and discharging at 1C across 0–100% state of charge. The cell used a 50 x 65 mm cathode, the same area as its QSE-5 cell, loaded at 5.5 mAh/cm².
Other results come with more asterisks. A 5-minute charge from 10% to 80% was run at 10C, but at 80°C, and no room-temperature fast-charge figure was published. A single small cell kept 68% of its room-temperature capacity at -20°C and 85% at 0°C, at a gentle C/3 rate. The projected energy density of up to about 1,100 Wh/L depends on thicker 10 mAh/cm² cathodes, supported so far by an 11 mm coin cell run for 100 cycles at 3 atm. QSE-5 is rated at 844 Wh/L.
Why it matters: solid-state cells that run without heavy clamping pressure are easier to manufacture, and manufacturability is what decides whether denser, safer batteries reach affordable scale for EVs and grid storage. Osprey is also pitched as open, so customers can pair it with their own cathodes, and it has been tested with cathodes from automaker customers.
Watch the caveats. Electrek estimates the 2-layer cell holds only about 0.3–0.4 Ah, against roughly 5 Ah for a QSE-5 cell. The white paper says higher-throughput processes are still in development. 80% after 1,000 cycles is below the 95% PowerCo confirmed for early QSE cells in 2024, though the chemistry differs. QuantumScape's claim that no other sulfide cell has done this is its own. There is no Osprey timeline; QSE-5 production is targeted for 2028 on a 100 MWh line, while Samsung SDI aims at sulfide mass production in late 2027.
Source: Electrek