QuantumScape Stock Surges After-Hours On Key Solid-State Battery Tech Breakthrough, Sparks Retail Trader Optimism

The Cobra platform replaces the older Raptor process, delivering a 25x improvement in heat treatment speed and requiring significantly less space, key factors for scaling to gigafactory-level production.

Shares of QuantumScape soared in after-hours trading after the company said it has integrated its Cobra separator process into baseline cell production.

The integration marks a major milestone toward the commercialization of its next-generation solid-state lithium-metal battery technology.

The stock closed up 2% at $4.33 on Tuesday, then surged 32.1% in after-hours trading to $5.72.

Cobra is a high-throughput, continuous-flow ceramic separator production platform designed to increase productivity. 

Compared to the prior-generation Raptor process used in B0 cell production, Cobra offers a 25x improvement in heat treatment speed and occupies only a fraction of the equipment footprint per film start.

This helps in faster, more energy-efficient manufacturing with reduced space requirements, which are crucial features for gigafactory-scale deployment.

With Cobra now serving as the new baseline process, QuantumScape said it will continue to work on production speed, efficiency, and scalability. 

The platform lays the foundation for higher-volume B1 sample production, and the company expects further performance gains as it rolls out future iterations of Cobra.

The company’s Q1 shareholder letter noted that capital expenditures totaled $5.8 million for the quarter, primarily allocated toward facility and equipment purchases tied to preparation for B1 production using the Cobra process. 

QuantumScape maintained its full-year capital expenditure guidance of $45 million to $75 million.

The company reiterated its full-year guidance for adjusted core loss to be between $250 million and $280 million.

As of the end of Q1, QuantumScape reported $860.3 million in liquidity and reaffirmed that its cash runway extends into the second half of 2028. 

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment turned ‘extremely bullish’ amid a 374% spike in 24-hour message volume.

One user expressed renewed confidence in QuantumScape's momentum, calling the production update a genuine turning point rather than another hype-driven cycle.

Another user expressed enthusiasm over the after-hours rally, saying long-term holding since 2021 was starting to pay off.

The stock, however, has declined 21.8% so far in 2025.

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