QuantumScape, a US battery company, has introduced a new cell format, FlexFrame, for solid-state EV batteries.

FlexFrame combines pouch and prismatic cells. The FlexFrame architecture has a frame that wraps around the cell stack and a flexible polymer laminate outer layer like pouch cells. The cell is anode-free and the cell stack is contracted, with the cell face a millimeter below the frame. The cell face and flexible packaging material are pushed out when each layer’s cell charges and anodes are plated with pure lithium metal. Fully charged cells have a face that’s nearly flush with the frame. 

The FlexFrame design transfers heat from cell layers to the outer frame, which can be cooled from the back or sides. It can also deliver energy density of above 800 Wh/L in QSE-5, its planned 5 amp-hour cell, according to the company.

“FlexFrame addresses the unique challenge of lithium metal expansion, which any lithium metal system will have to solve. Its design is capable of good thermal performance and efficient packing at the module level, while allowing for high cell-level energy density. This allows for rapid mass manufacturing using materials and processes similar to those used at scale in today’s battery industry,” said the company.

Source: QuantumScape