New York, June 18, 2026, 10:07 EDT
- QuantumScape shares rose about 5.7% to $7.29 in morning trading after Honda R&D agreed to a multi-year solid-state battery research program.
- The agreement follows Honda’s technical evaluation of QuantumScape’s platform and gives investors a fresh automaker validation point.
- The risk is execution: QuantumScape still has no revenue from business operations and said significant production is not expected in the near term.
QuantumScape shares climbed on Thursday after the battery developer said Honda R&D would join it in a multi-year research program to advance solid-state battery technology, a fresh automaker tie-up for a company still trying to move from promising cells to commercial production.
The stock was recently up $0.39 at $7.29, or about 5.7%, after touching $8.49 earlier in the session. The company’s market value stood at about $4.44 billion.
The timing matters. QuantumScape trades less on current earnings than on signs that large vehicle makers will keep testing its technology and help carry it toward scale. Solid-state lithium-metal batteries use a solid material rather than a flammable liquid electrolyte to separate key parts of the cell; in plain English, the goal is a smaller, safer battery that can hold more energy and charge faster.
Honda R&D’s Atsushi Ogawa said QuantumScape technology showed “compelling and unique advantages” during the evaluation. QuantumScape Chief Executive Siva Sivaram said Honda’s review was “one of the most rigorous assessments” of the company’s technology to date. GlobeNewswire
The market read is straightforward, if still early: Honda’s name adds credibility, but the announcement was not a purchase order. QuantumScape did not disclose financial terms, cell volumes, or a commercial supply timetable. That leaves the next proof points in the factory, not the press release.
The broader tape helped. Wall Street opened higher on Thursday, with the Nasdaq Composite up 1.49% and the S&P 500 up 0.91% at the opening bell, Reuters reported. Later delayed LSEG data on Reuters showed the Nasdaq up 1.35% and the S&P 500 up 1.11%.
Other battery-development shares were also firmer, but by less. Solid Power was up about 1.1%, SES AI rose roughly 1.4%, and Enovix gained about 1.2%, suggesting the QuantumScape move was driven more by the Honda headline than by a broad battery-sector rally alone.
Honda adds to a partner map that already includes Volkswagen’s battery unit PowerCo. Under a 2024 deal, PowerCo received a license to mass-produce cells based on QuantumScape technology, subject to progress and royalty payments, with capacity of up to 40 gigawatt-hours a year and an option to expand to 80 gigawatt-hours.
The balance sheet gives QuantumScape time, but not a free pass. The company reported a first-quarter net loss of $100.8 million, or 16 cents a share, and said cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were about $904.7 million at March 31. It also said it had yet to generate revenue from business operations.
The but is large. If the technology cannot be made at consistent quality, cost and yield, the Honda work could remain research rather than revenue. QuantumScape said in its 10-Q it expects continuing losses until significant production begins, which it said is not expected in the near future, and warned that delays, supply-chain issues, capital needs and licensing execution could hurt the business.
With U.S. markets closed Friday for Juneteenth, Thursday’s move may carry extra positioning noise. The next cleaner read will be whether investors keep bidding the stock after the holiday, once the first rush around Honda gives way to questions about milestones, samples and cash conversion.
