QuantumScape Corporation announced the successful integration of its Cobra separator process into baseline cell production, marking a significant step in scaling its solid-state lithium-metal battery manufacturing. The new Cobra platform serves as the foundation for the company’s high-throughput, continuous-flow separator production line, designed to reduce energy consumption and equipment footprint compared to earlier methods.
According to QuantumScape, Cobra delivers approximately a 25-fold increase in heat-treatment speed over its prior-generation Raptor process while occupying only a fraction of the physical space per film start. These enhancements are key to the design of a scalable gigafactory, enabling faster production cycles and improved process efficiency.
“Our team has made impressive strides in advancing Cobra, a technology that exemplifies our progress in scaling solid-state battery production,” said Dr. Siva Sivaram, QS CEO. “By significantly improving throughput and shrinking the equipment footprint, Cobra gives us a powerful path forward for commercializing our next-generation battery technology.”
“Cobra is a step-change innovation in ceramic processing, enabling a major improvement in productivity compared to Raptor — which was already a considerable advancement compared to the previous generation,” said Tim Holme, QS co-founder and CTO. “This advancement is central to bringing our high-performance solid-state battery platform to market at gigawatt scale.”
The Cobra separator replaces the Raptor process previously used for B0 cell production, which had delivered better separator quality and process stability. With Cobra now established as the new baseline, QuantumScape plans to further optimize production speed, efficiency and scalability in preparation for higher-volume B1 sample output. The company expects additional performance gains as it rolls out future iterations of the Cobra platform.
QuantumScape is focused on revolutionizing energy storage through solid-state lithium-metal battery technology. The company’s batteries are engineered to deliver higher energy density, faster charging and enhanced safety, supporting the transition to a lower-carbon transportation and energy ecosystem.
