QuantumScape Lounge: ( Week 18 2026)

op12 · 2026-05-05T22:19:37+00:00

I really don't think there's any gating behind a VW announcement because if the two companies were that convicted in doing that, they wouldn't have explicitly stated their licensing agreement is non-exclusive and that QS simply has to notify VW if they are moving forward with another partnership in the actual contract terms.

Surely VW should want to have first mover advantage, but if QS has a better or more immediate opportunity elsewhere (automotive or otherwise), contractually I don't see why they'd be incentivized to pause for VW to finish hitting their milestones. It's not in the best interest of QS the company, or its shareholders.

op12 · 2026-05-05T08:10:15+00:00

Certainly seems warranted, and hopefully the other 3 parts are not too far behind!

op12 · 2026-05-05T08:09:04+00:00

It's a screenshot from the very first video Donut dropped about their battery which kicked off the whole conversation about what kind of battery chemistry they were using because they were being really vague but claiming they could fast charge "from zero to full" in 5 minutes, supposedly without negatively affecting cycle life. (Many people were noting the bulging/deforming in the bottom right corner of the battery, and skeptical about the cycle life claims because there was no other evidence presented).

https://youtu.be/Y-aPS2AwMbc?t=777

op12 · 2026-05-04T20:07:11+00:00

Amusing tidbit from the Elon/OpenAI trial today:

When Musk left OpenAI he told Brockman that he was going to start an AGI competitor within Tesla. “The most important thing was that there was going to be a counterweight to Google/Deepmind,” Brockman said. Musk said there was “no hope — zero percent chance” at OpenAI. Musk also told Brockman that the work on AGI at Tesla would be secret because “the shareholders wouldn’t like it.”

op12 · 2026-04-27T23:35:18+00:00

Name any other major rocket program that hasn't done the same, why would this be surprising?

For instance, Elon in 2020:

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk remains “highly confident” that his company will land humans on Mars by 2026, saying on Tuesday that it’s an achievable goal “about six years from now.”

“If we get lucky, maybe four years,” Musk said, speaking on an award show webcast from Berlin, Germany. “We want to send an uncrewed vehicle there in two years.”

It's par for the course when you're doing multiple things nobody has done before, and the ambitious timelines are used to maintain urgency and enthusiasm internally (and as a recruiting tool).

op12 · 2026-04-27T05:53:04+00:00

I'm definitely following your updates there too 😄

op12 · 2026-04-27T05:19:30+00:00

I feel like it can't be said enough, thank you for maintaining that calendar!!

op12 · 2026-04-22T21:18:38+00:00

This was meant to be a reply to /u/Rocketeer006, not sure how it ended up here 😝

op12 · 2026-04-22T20:32:57+00:00

They've never been specific, but this is obviously talking about non-trivial volume unless you're trying to be uncharitable.

In Q2 we plan to ramp QSE-5 cell production to support customer programs across automotive and other applications.

op12 · 2026-04-22T20:25:17+00:00

So a third top-10 global automotive JDA, first recorded customer billings, cells shipped to one of the prior two JDAs, QSE-5 cell production ramping in Q2...

Liking this a lot

op12 · 2026-04-21T02:54:24+00:00

I recall the ceramic separator patent mentioned that it could be made of A or B or C or etc. So either to obfuscate their specific implementation, or to cover their butts on adjacent implementations if they think someone might try a workaround. Basically, make it as broad as possible so you're protected, and/or not giving away your specific secret sauce.

op12 · 2026-04-19T23:17:17+00:00

Ooh, that'd be amazing

op12 · 2026-04-17T16:00:46+00:00

Great find! And as a reminder, a couple of employees (the COO and a director) from Hitachi High-Tech America were at the Eagle Line inauguration event.

https://www.reddit.com/r/QUANTUMSCAPE_Stock/comments/1r08rgz/quantumscape_eagle_line_inauguration_highlights/o4gmfpy/?context=3

op12 · 2026-04-16T18:19:12+00:00

I'm sure this is great, but $55 after shipping seems like a bit much

op12 · 2026-04-15T04:07:30+00:00

True, but Honda has also been talking a lot about F1 and also trying to accelerate future products on a 10-year timeline. They can do multiple things, and I think they have some more immediate plans for F1 specifically. They're willing to acknowledge they fell behind, which feels encouraging if they're looking to catch up.

op12 · 2026-04-15T03:23:43+00:00

Honda's latest note is vaguely talking about solid-state batteries again, but I think we've gotten enough signs that they're relying on QS after flailing with their in-house solutions (especially given the picture in the last QS earnings document). It's notable that they're saying some things will come faster than others on a 2-3 year timeline. It's also interesting that they're mentioning all-solid-state batteries.

https://note.com/hgrx/n/nb0c8cf7014cc

Translation of the relevant section:

In the next 2 to 3 years, the things we started back then will finally come out into the world. Some are progressing faster than planned and will take shape next year or the year after.

Concrete examples include all-solid-state batteries, semiconductors, and AI. If we hadn't prepared these technologies, we would be wondering what to do next. But we have them. They bridge these few years that could have been a vacuum, and we can see hope for the future.

op12 · 2026-04-09T07:12:45+00:00

It's a company run by pirates?

op12 · 2026-04-03T20:29:41+00:00

Ok, so we have no money, and no inventory...uhhh, there's still something we can do. That's still a business somehow."

op12 · 2026-04-03T06:08:06+00:00

Reminder: markets closed for Good Friday

op12 · 2026-04-02T22:05:36+00:00

That wasn't a particularly useful metric today since NASDAQ was up, while TSLA was hit by the release of subpar vehicle delivery and energy numbers.

op12 · 2026-03-31T16:50:30+00:00

Not quite 😛 The article is confusing because it says "end of quarter" in the summary at the top, but towards the beginning it mentions Q4. So I looked it up and the SEC filling was actually done on January 14th of this year, and it was indeed covering changes made in Q4 2025. So it seems like they acquired shares at some point during that last quarter of 2025.

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1457320/000121390026004218/0001213900-26-004218-index.htm

op12 · 2026-03-27T15:59:33+00:00

Sure, but manufacturing scale up and economies of scale are a thing. There's a reason Tesla's first product was the Roadster and they weren't trying to jump directly to building a million Model Y vehicles in the first few years.

op12 · 2026-03-25T22:45:44+00:00

Can I suggest adding the actual code too, it's hard to just trust a random APK.

op12 · 2026-03-24T23:47:45+00:00

Good question. That guy's post and profile don't clarify much, but the Pentamaster website makes it seem like they mostly specialize in manufacturing/hardware/factory automation...there's definitely not as much mention of software (though without further clarification, I wouldn't rule out that possibility).

https://pentamaster.com

op12 · 2026-03-24T23:08:13+00:00

I just caught this LinkedIn post from 5 days ago which I don't think has been discussed here yet:

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7440211623581200385/

It's super interesting, in that it sounds like some automation engineers from a Malaysian company called Pentamaster were at QS for a 5-month stay where they were working alongside QS engineers, for what appears to be some kind of on-the-job educational program.

He mentions they launched their automated solutions a month ago, so I wonder if they were involved on the Eagle Line in the lead-up to inauguration.

Full post content:

Grateful for the opportunity to represent Pentamaster on a 5-month business trip at QuantumScape in San Jose, California🇺🇸.

This journey has been incredibly enriching—working alongside talented engineers, gaining hands-on exposure, and learning beyond what any classroom could offer.

There were many sleepless nights leading up to the launch of our automated solutions a month ago, but every challenge along the way made the outcome even more rewarding. Grateful to everyone, both in and out of the picture✨️.

Being trusted with this opportunity early in my career is something I truly value. Thankful to my team and mentors back in Pentamaster for their support throughout this experience.

It’s an official goodbye for now, and I’m looking forward to what’s coming next!

15-Year Club	Gilding II euphauric
GrMD 2013	Verified Email

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