ROOT / BATTERY // BATTERY CHEMISTRIES
// Battery · decoded · publication-grade pass
Battery Chemistries, decoded.
From the voltaic pile to solid-state, benchmarked and reality-checked against real 2026 production.
CURATED INDEX◊ VERIFIED · multi-source
// the signal · what the data says
Battery competition is a trade-off surface — energy vs. cycle life vs. cost vs. safety. The 2026 reality check: seven companies have spent $10B+ on solid-state and zero all-solid cells are in customer cars. QuantumScape's QSE-5 is verified at 301 Wh/kg with a 12.2-minute 10-80% charge and enters VW field testing in 2026 (mass production 2027-28); Toyota targets 450-500 Wh/kg on the same timeline. Meanwhile LFP quietly won the present on cost and 4,000-cycle longevity, and CATL's sodium-ion is the emerging lithium-free floor.
// comparison · every entry, benchmarked & sourced
| Name | Maker | Energy (Wh/kg) | Cycles | Cost ($/kWh) | Chemistry |
|---|
| QSE-5 (solid-state) | QuantumScape | 301 | 1000 | 120 | SSB |
| ◊ Verified B-sample; 12.2min 10-80%; VW field test 2026 |
| Solid-state (target) | Toyota | 475 | 1000 | 110 | SSB |
| ◊ Stated 450-500 Wh/kg; production 2027-28 |
| Silicon anode | Sila/Amprius | 350 | 1000 | 100 | Li-ion |
| ◊ Higher density; swelling/longevity challenge |
| NMC 811 | LG/Panasonic | 280 | 1500 | 90 | Li-ion |
| ◊ High-energy EV cells |
| LFP | CATL/BYD | 180 | 4000 | 70 | Li-ion |
| ◊ Won the present: cheap + long-lived |
| Sodium-ion | CATL | 160 | 3000 | 55 | Na-ion |
| ◊ Lithium-free, cold-tolerant, cheap |
| Lead-acid | Various | 40 | 500 | 50 | PbA |
| ◊ Legacy baseline |
// leaderboard · Energy (Wh/kg)
01Solid-state (target)475
02Silicon anode350
03QSE-5 (solid-state)301
04NMC 811280
05LFP180
06Sodium-ion160
07Lead-acid40
// sources & where to verify
// full index, per-field sourcing & CSV export [ AUTHENTICATE → ]
◊ Publication-grade pass, mid-2026. Cross-checked against the sources listed. Green = best value in column. Footnotes: Solid-state figures are verified B-sample (QuantumScape QSE-5) or stated targets (Toyota). Cost/kWh for pre-production chemistries is estimated. Cycle life is manufacturer-rated.