What Is The Best Quantum Battery Stock?

Is the Quantum Glass Battery Real?

Although the phrase “Quantum Glass Battery” sounds like something you might read about in a sci-fi novel set centuries in the future, the technology behind the product is very real – and likely to revolutionize the electric vehicle market in the coming years.

The idea behind the quantum battery was first described by John B. Goodenough and Maria Helena Braga when, in 2016, they published their seminal paper on the topic, “Alternative strategy for a safe rechargeable battery”.

In essence, a glass battery is just a kind of solid-state battery in which the liquid or gel electrolyte found in lithium-ion batteries is replaced by a solid electrolyte made out of glass.

Solid-state batteries have profound advantages over their liquid counterparts, so much so in fact that their potential use in the electric vehicle industry is expected to be revolutionary. The main benefits a quantum battery has over traditional batteries are:

• Increased energy density – the car does more miles per charge
• No toxic or dangerous materials used in its construction
• Non-flammable – each vehicle requires less expensive safety modifications to protect it from possible fire damage
• Faster charging – what once took hours now only take minutes
• Longer life cycle – the battery can be charged thousands of times before it begins to degrade

What Company Makes The New Quantum Glass Battery?

The current leader in the race to perfect the quantum glass battery is South Korean conglomerate Samsung (SSNLF).

The company recently announced a major breakthrough in its efforts to develop a functional solid-state battery for use in electric vehicles. One of the fundamental problems so far with solid-state batteries is that they are prone to fail when exposed to repeated charging.

However, scientists at the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) found the cause of this failure – and it had to do with dendrite growth (small, sharp, spiky crystals) on the battery’s lithium-metal anode.

Researchers then decided to remove the metal anodes and replace them with a silver-carbon (Ag-C) composite layer instead. After doing this, they found that the battery could carry a larger capacity, was much safer overall, and had a longer life-cycle as well.

Not only that, but the prototype they produced was also 50% smaller than a typical lithium-ion battery, and the team behind the discovery reckoned that the new, improved battery could travel 500 miles on just one single charge.

Are There Other Firms Working On Quantum Battery Technology?

Despite the great leap forward made by the Samsung research group, the company knows it’s still a long way off producing a viable solid-state battery yet.

That, however, is not the case with QuantumScape (QS). Sure, the newly floated firm doesn’t think its battery will be fully commercialized until 2025, but, unlike many other companies working on the problem, they’re the ones who’re generating the data to back up their lofty ambitions.

To quote QS’s CEO Jagdeep Singh:

We think that we’re the first to solve solid-state

A bold claim indeed. But at the company’s virtual battery day last December, the world got to see where all the hype was coming from: QuantumScape had come up with a novel ceramic separator that allowed its batteries to withstand the operating current loads at the typical temperatures and pressures experienced in a vehicle motor.

Volkswagen tested the batteries independently and were so impressed they gave QS an extra $100 million to continue developing the project.

All that said, however, QuantumScape might not be the best glass battery stock to buy right now; the firm saw its share price tank from highs of $132 at the end of 2020 to its current value of $26 – partly due to a scathing report by short-seller analyst Scorpion Capital, which, until the allegations made in the report are fully addressed, should make investors wary of entering a position with the stock.

So What Is The Best Quantum Battery Stock?

If you’re looking for a relatively safe battery play with a well-known name in the world of electronics, Japanese firm Panasonic (PCRFY) might just be the perfect fit. The company is, after all, the world’s largest battery manufacturer – and they’re the only outfit that Tesla partners with in the US to fulfill its battery production requirements.

Additionally, Panasonic also works with Toyota (TM) to create prismatic batteries for sale to other electric vehicle manufacturers – making its operations in the sector somewhat diversified. And the two companies have a long, established relationship with one another, having first begun their battery research work together back in 1996.

Panasonic indicated in its latest filings that it believes its profits will increase in every segment throughout 2022, despite encountering decreased sales in 2021 from the impact of COVID-19. The company has good operating cash flow growth of 17%, which will be vital in funding any cash-intensive research endeavors around its battery division.

The most important edge Panasonic will have in the quantum glass market is that the company is seeking to find a way to cheaply mass-produce its batteries so as to broaden its potential customer base as much as possible.

At the moment, battery manufacture has to take place in an ultra-dry environment, which necessitates small, compact working booths which prohibits the ramping-up of operations. If it can solve this problem – and get the first mover advantage over its rivals – expect Panasonic, with its vast sales network and ability to scale, to be the winner in the solid-state battery race.

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The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Financhill has a disclosure policy. This post may contain affiliate links or links from our sponsors.