Solid-State Batteries: Electrodes and Electrolytes Explained

Automatically transcribed from the original recording. Small transcription errors may remain.

Electric vehicles are taking over and innovative breakthroughs are happening right now when it comes to batteries. One of those innovations is solid state batteries. So first, let's go ahead and break down the necessary components of all batteries. So we have here three elements. First is the cathode, which is the positive electrode. Then we have the negative side of the battery called the anode. And right in the middle, we have something called an electrolyte. So this This electrolyte allows ions to pass through the battery but not electrons. So modern batteries today use a fluid electrolyte, where lithium dissolves and drifts through the fluid during discharge. In a battery like the one produced by QuantumScape, the liquid is replaced with a solid electrolyte and this solves two problems. The first is it's safer since the battery is no longer explosive, and two, you get double the energy capacity nearly doubling your range within a single charge.