The two biggest drawbacks of electric cars (limited range and slow charging) are likely to persist until battery manufacturers can solve the dendrite problem.
This solution will be worth billions and a number of companies that often have the support of car manufacturers are promoting their first successes. Investors swarm around one of the few publicly traded competitors, QuantumScape Corp., which for a time 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 needle-like lithium deposits that resemble microscopic tree branches. They can grow inside the batteries, causing short circuits or even fires.
Batteries used in cars today require a slower charge, in part because of the risk of dendritic 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.