The two biggest disadvantages of electric cars – limited autonomy and slow charging – will probably persist until battery manufacturers can solve the dendritic problem.
This solution will be worth billions, and a number of start-ups often supported by car manufacturers are promoting their early successes. Investors are swarming around one of the few publicly traded competitors, QuantumScape Corp., which for a while last year was worth more than Ford Motor Co.
In the human body, dendrites are extensions of nerves that transmit signals between cells. In lithium-ion batteries, they are small lithium needle deposits similar to the microscopic branches of trees. They can grow inside batteries, leading to short circuits or even fires.
Batteries that are used in cars today require a slower charge, in part because of the risk of dendrite formation. Too fast a load can cause dendrites to build up. Because QuantumScape batteries seem to have solved the dendritic problem, they can be charged faster.
“If you can build a better battery, you can build a better car,” said Jagdeep Singh, chief executive of QuantumScape.