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The Volkswagen Group, alongside its subsidiaries PowerCo and Elli, is showcasing a series of pioneering battery and energy technologies made in Europe. These advancements signal a significant step forward in sustainable mobility, featuring world-premiere innovations from a test vehicle with a solid-state battery to a new series-production-ready Unified Cell and a large-scale energy storage system. These developments highlight the company’s commitment to strengthening its technological leadership and enhancing Europe’s position as an automotive hub.
Key Highlights
- World Premiere I: The first Group test vehicle, an all-electric motorcycle, has been equipped with a groundbreaking solid-state battery from QuantumScape.
- World Premiere II: PowerCo’s Unified Cell is ready for series production and will debut in the Electric Urban Car Family, offering a leap in performance and cost efficiency.
- World Premiere III: Elli is building its first stationary large-scale storage system, the PowerCenter in Salzgitter, to support the energy grid.
- Strategic Goal: Volkswagen Group is expanding its in-house expertise in key e-mobility technologies to develop superior solutions and make electric mobility more accessible.
First Test Vehicle with Solid-State Battery
In a significant step toward the future of e-mobility, PowerCo, Ducati, and Audi have introduced an all-electric motorcycle demonstrator featuring QuantumScape’s solid-state battery technology. This project marks a milestone in transitioning the technology from the laboratory to real-world applications, promising EVs with longer ranges and shorter charging times.
The test vehicle, based on Ducati’s all-electric V21L, was heavily modified to integrate the new battery system, which can house up to 980 QSE-5 cells from QuantumScape. Unlike conventional lithium-ion batteries, this solid-state technology uses a lithium-metal anode and a ceramic separator, offering substantial improvements in energy density, fast-charging capability, safety, and lifecycle.
Thomas Schmall, Group Board Member for Technology, stated, “The solid-state battery has the potential to become a game changer in e-mobility.” The Group aims to industrialize this technology with QuantumScape and integrate it into the “solid state-ready” Unified Cell for rapid deployment in vehicles. The goal is to develop a commercial solution by the end of the decade.
Unified Cell and Cell-to-Pack Battery
PowerCo has also presented the series version of its new Unified Cell, which will be used for the first time in the Electric Urban Car Family of Volkswagen, ŠKODA, and CUPRA. This cell represents a major technological leap, with an energy density of around 660 Wh/l, a 10 percent increase over previous cells.
Combined with a newly developed cell-to-pack battery system, the Unified Cell will enable the Electric Urban Car Family to achieve a range of up to 450 kilometers with charging times under 25 minutes. This innovation sets new benchmarks for the small car segment and helps make e-mobility more affordable.
The Unified Cell is designed as a global technology platform and is expected to be used in up to 80 percent of the Group’s electric vehicles. Its flexible design can accommodate various cell chemistries, from LFP to solid-state. According to Frank Blome, CEO of PowerCo, “The battery cell is a key technology of the 21st century,” and PowerCo is rapidly becoming a global cell manufacturer and a leader in European battery technology.
For more information, visit PowerCo’s website.
Elli’s Large-Scale Energy Storage System
Expanding its focus to the energy sector, Volkswagen’s subsidiary Elli will connect its first stationary large-scale storage system to the grid in December 2025. Located in Salzgitter, the PowerCenter will have a capacity of 20 MW and a storage capacity of 40 MWh.
This system utilizes battery packs from PowerCo and will serve as a scalable platform for energy trading. By building up energy storage capacity, the Volkswagen Group and Elli are addressing the need to balance the fluctuating supply of renewable energy sources like wind and solar with consumer demand. Giovanni Palazzo, CEO of Elli, noted that these projects make a “decisive contribution to the energy transition and security of supply in Europe.”
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