Volkswagen has signed a deal to produce solid-state batteries for 40 GWh of annual production, expected to be expanded to 80 GWh or 1 million EVs, with California’s QuantumScape licensing its formula to Volkswagen internal battery division PowerCo. This agreement has been in-progress since January, beginning with PowerCo testing a QuantumScape sample battery cell and finding 95% range retention over 300,000 miles, several times lower than in mainstream products today. The next step for the partnership is to finalize a product which will be deployed en masse in a Volkswagen Group vehicle series. Volkswagen’s announcement is some of the latest news on solid-state adoption, but it lacks a delivery date, and is only semi-solid, with a liquid ‘catholyte,’ implying only…