QuantumScape has finally bolted the last major machines into its Eagle Line pilot factory in San Jose, a highly automated line meant to turn its QSE-5 solid-state cells from boutique prototypes into something resembling a production product. The company hit this equipment-installation goal for 2025 and plans a February 2026 inauguration, inviting automakers and officials to walk the line and judge whether the solid-state dream is ready for industrial reality.
QuantumScape has finally bolted the last major machines into its Eagle Line pilot factory in San Jose, a highly automated line meant to turn its QSE-5 solid-state cells from boutique prototypes into something resembling a production product. The company hit this equipment-installation goal for 2025 and plans a February 2026 inauguration, inviting automakers and officials to walk the line and judge whether the solid-state dream is ready for industrial reality.
What happens next decides whether QuantumScape becomes the Tesla of solid-state batteries or another expensive science project. Volkswagen’s PowerCo has already signed on to license the tech and ultimately build 40–80 GWh a year of cells, while rivals like Toyota and Stellantis are racing toward their own late-2020s solid-state launches; if Eagle Line can’t hit performance, cost, and yield targets, automakers will quietly move on.
