The two biggest drawbacks of electric cars—limited range and slow charging—will likely persist until battery makers can solve the dendrite problem.
That solution will be worth billions, and a range of startups often backed by auto makers are touting their early successes. Investors are swarming 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 among cells. In lithium-ion batteries, they are tiny, needlelike deposits of lithium resembling microscopic tree branches. They can grow within the batteries, leading to short circuits or even fires.
Batteries that are in use in cars today require a slower charge, in part because of the risk of dendrite formation. A too-fast charge can cause dendrites to build up. Because QuantumScape’s batteries appear to have solved the dendrite problem, they can be charged faster.
“If you can build a better battery, you can build a better car,” said QuantumScape Chief Executive Jagdeep Singh.
