Page 158 - CW E-Magazine (5-8-2025)

News from Abroad

COLLABORATION
Volkswagen arm and QuantumScape accelerate

solid-state battery technology commercialisation

QuantumScape (QS), a US-based These inflows are in addition to the pre- power density, fast charging and a
solid-state lithium-metal battery tech- viously announced $130-mn that will robust safety profile. Together, the
nology firm, has announced expansion be due to QS upon satisfactory techni- companies will target a product that
of collaboration and licensing arrange- cal progress and subsequent execution will be scaled-up for integration in a
ment with PowerCo, the battery com- of the licensing agreement. Volkswagen Group vehicle series.
pany of the Volkswagen Group, origi-
nally entered into in July 2024. Upon satisfactory technical pro- Under the non-exclusive license,
gress and royalty payments, Quan- PowerCo can manufacture up to 40-GWh
The updated collaboration agree- tumScape will grant PowerCo the per year using QuantumScape’s tech-
ment is designed to accelerate the license to mass produce battery cells nology with the option to expand up
‘QSE-5’ battery development pilot based on QuantumScape’s technology to 80-GWh, enough to outfit approxi-
line in San Jose, US. Under the terms, platform. mately one million vehicles per year.
PowerCo will provide up to $131-mn in The companies believe this high-touch
new payments over the next two years QuantumScape’s technology plat- engagement represents the fastest way
upon the joint scale-up team achieving form is based on the company’s solid- to achieve gigawatt-hour-scale produc-
certain milestones. The first milestones state ceramic separator, which en- tion of solid-state technology to meet
have been achieved, and QS expects ables the use of a pure lithium-metal the growing global demand for better
to begin receiving payments in 2025. anode designed for quality energy and electric vehicle batteries.
FERMENTATION PLATFORM
Debut’s biotech platform enables creating fragrance

ingredients without cultivation

American biotech firm, Debut, has process makes the desired fragrance
launched a plant cell biotechnology extracts without the plant, saving time
platform that enables the creation of and money by bypassing traditional
fragrance ingredients without the need cultivation. With climate change im-
for cultivation. The technology can rep- pacting the molecular composition of
licate the thousands of key molecules ingredients, the fragrance industry is
found in cultivated ingredient extracts, increasingly looking to biotechnology
including those that require a lengthy to produce high quality, sustainable
development process lasting up to five alternatives. Our proprietary platform
years, the company claimed. offers a clear pathway to develop high
value fragrance molecules and mimic
Debut has focused its proprietary replicates the molecular olfactive ‘fin- rare, natural scents,” he informed.
know-how on creating orris (from gerprint’ of even the most complex
the root of the iris flower), one of the fragrance ingredients with utmost pre- Debut is starting programmes with
world’s most precious perfume ingre- cision and purity,” said Dr. Joshua Brit- several companies looking to overcome
dients which can command up to ton, Founder and CEO of Debut. “Our supply chain constraints and variation
$100,000 per kilogram, and vetiver, scientists have demonstrated that they in the chemical composition of extracts,
well-known for its complex and versa- can create the required plant cell cul- in addition to discover new fragrance
tile olfactive profile. tures in less than a year, starting from ingredients and incorporate the sustain-
the seed of the plant they want to repli- able production of high-performing,
“Debut’s plant cell biotechnology cate via fermentation. The fermentation fragranced products.

158 Chemical Weekly August 5, 2025

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