Donut Lab Claims Solid-State Battery Breakthrough: Game-Changer or Too Good to Be True?

A Bold Entry into the Solid-State Race

In an industry weary of “breakthrough” announcements that almost never materialize, Donut Lab has made what might be the most audacious battery claim yet: a commercially available, all solid-state battery pack already shipping in production vehicles. If true, this would mark a watershed moment in electric mobility. If not, it joins a long list of overpromised battery technologies that have consumed billions in investment while delivering little.

Who is Donut Lab?

At CES 2025, Donut Lab showcased its in-wheel “donut motors,” claiming superior torque and power density at competitive pricing. According to CEO Marko Lehtimäki, over 100 OEMs are currently integrating these motors into their roadmaps, with partnerships spanning from motorcycles to heavy transport applications. The company has since expanded into a broader technology platform, including Donut OS software and control units, positioning itself as a vertically integrated supplier rather than a single-component manufacturer. This latest battery announcement represents the completion of what they’re calling the “Donut Platform”—a comprehensive powertrain solution.

The Nordic Nano Connection

Understanding the battery technology requires recognizing a crucial partnership that preceded this announcement. In October 2025, Donut Lab made a strategic investment in Nordic Nano Group, a Finnish nanotechnology company. CEO Marko Lehtimäki joined Nordic Nano’s board of directors, and Nordic Nano became part of a Donut Lab-led international technology cluster for electric transportation.

Synergies – Nordic Nano develops nanotechnology solutions for energy storage, and critically, produces solid-state salt batteries manufactured using a screenprinting method from nanofluid. The solid-state battery technology Donut Lab announced appears to originate from Nordic Nano’s existing research and manufacturing capabilities. This partnership recontextualizes Donut Lab’s announcement. Rather than a startup independently solving problems that have stumped industry giants, Donut Lab is commercializing and scaling technology developed by an established nanotechnology firm with existing solid-state battery expertise. The Nordic Nano connection also helps explain the “globally abundant materials” claim, as salt-based batteries would indeed avoid the rare material dependencies associated with conventional lithium-ion technology.

Nordic Nano’s manufacturing facility is located in Imatra, Finland, where the company has converted a former department store into a production facility. According to reports, the facility received significant government support, including €3.6 million in total investment support. Donut Lab itself is headquartered in Helsinki/Espoo, Finland, with additional operations in Estonia and the UK. 

The Claims: Rewriting Battery Physics?

Donut Lab’s solid-state battery specifications read like a wish list of everything the industry has struggled to achieve simultaneously:

Energy Density: 400 Wh/kg at the cell level—approximately double that of current production lithium-ion batteries, which typically range from 200-280 Wh/kg.

Charging Speed: Zero to full charge in as little as 5 minutes.

Cycle Life: 100,000 cycles—a figure that would represent roughly 10-20 times the longevity of conventional lithium-ion batteries, which typically degrade significantly after 1,500-2,000 deep cycles.

Temperature Performance: Over 99% capacity retention at both -30°C and above 100°C.

Safety: Non-flammable even when damaged

Cost: Lower than lithium-ion at the pack level—perhaps the most extraordinary claim given that solid-state batteries have historically been prohibitively expensive.

Materials: Built from globally abundant, non-rare materials that can be sourced locally in major markets. 

First to Market: The Verge Motorcycles Partnership

Verge has been named the exclusive channel partner for Donut battery technology in the two-wheeler industry. The announcement’s credibility hinges significantly on the integration with Verge Motorcycles. According to Spencer Cutlan from Verge, all Verge TS Pro motorcycles will now ship with Donut’s solid-state battery pack, with the following improvements:

• A new long-range variant offering up to 600 km of real-world range (compared to their current 350 km configuration)

• Add 300 km in under 10 minutes

• No fire risk or thermal runaway

• Battery to last the lifetime of the motorcycle with no degradation

• Two configurations: Standard (20.2 kWh) and Long Range (33.3 kWh)

Verge Motorcycles with the new battery are available for order today, with first deliveries in Q1 2026 (we understand this means by April 2026), according to Donut Lab.

Beyond Two-Wheelers: Automotive and Heavy Transport

The company emphasizes that this is platform technology designed for scalability across motorcycles, passenger vehicles, fleets, drones, robotics, marine applications, and stationary storage. Donut Lab outlined a multi-sector rollout strategy:

Automotive: WATT Electric Vehicles partners with Donut Lab to deliver a lightweight skateboard platform that combines Donut Motors and Donut Lab’s battery technology.

Heavy Transport: Integration into Cova Power smart trailers (a joint venture with Avola Group), powered by Donut in-wheel motors, Donut Battery, and Donut Platform software.

The Skeptic’s Perspective: Questions That Demand Answers

While Donut Lab’s announcement deserves attention, several aspects warrant careful scrutiny:

• The Solid-State Track Record: Major players like Toyota, QuantumScape, Solid Power, and Samsung have invested billions over decades in solid-state technology. All have faced significant manufacturing, scaling, or performance challenges. Toyota recently pushed its solid-state timeline to 2027-2028, and QuantumScape—despite going public via SPAC—is still working toward commercial production.

• The Physics Question: Achieving 400 Wh/kg energy density, 5-minute charging, 100,000 cycles, and extreme temperature performance simultaneously represents solving multiple historically conflicting engineering trade-offs. The combination Donut claims would represent not incremental improvement but a fundamental leap.

• Manufacturing at Scale: Solid-state batteries have proven notoriously difficult to manufacture consistently. Achieving uniform solid electrolyte layers, managing interface resistance, and preventing dendrite formation during cycling are persistent challenges. Nordic Nano’s screenprinting method from nanofluid represents a potentially novel manufacturing approach that could address some traditional solid-state production challenges, though details about production capacity, yield rates, and scalability remain undisclosed.

• Independent Validation: As of this announcement, there appears to be no third-party testing data, peer-reviewed research, or independent validation of these performance claims. The battery industry has a troubled history of companies making spectacular claims without transparent verification.

• Cost Economics: Solid-state batteries have consistently been more expensive than lithium-ion due to complex manufacturing and novel materials. Donut’s claim of being cheaper than lithium-ion at the pack level—while using solid-state technology—challenges industry economics.

• Material Science: The claim of using “globally abundant materials” while achieving these performance metrics is intriguing but vague. Current solid-state research often relies on materials like lithium metal anodes and specialized solid electrolytes that aren’t particularly abundant. What specific chemistry is Donut Lab using?

What Would It Mean If True?

If Donut Lab’s claims hold up to scrutiny, the implications would be transformative:

• EV Adoption: The primary barriers to mass EV adoption—range anxiety, charging time, battery degradation, and cost—would effectively disappear. 

• Grid Storage: 100,000-cycle batteries would revolutionize renewable energy storage economics, making grid-scale batteries viable for 20+ year deployments with minimal degradation.

• Supply Chain Geopolitics: If truly built from abundant materials, this would reduce dependence on lithium, cobalt, and rare earth supply chains currently dominated by a few nations.

• Industry Disruption: Traditional battery manufacturers like CATL, BYD, LG Energy Solution, and Panasonic could face a significant competitive threat.

The Path Forward: Watch and Verify

Donut Lab has made the ultimate falsifiable claim—they’re shipping these batteries now in production vehicles. This provides a clear timeline for verification:

• Verge TS Pro motorcycles with solid-state batteries should be reaching customers in less than 3 months. 

• Real-world performance data from actual users will emerge over the coming months

• Independent testing organizations can evaluate the technology

• Teardown analyses will reveal the actual chemistry and construction

• OEM partners will either confirm integrations or remain silent

For an industry exhausted by solid-state promises perpetually arriving “next year,” Donut Lab’s approach is refreshingly concrete: the technology is either shipping and performing as claimed, or it isn’t. There’s no room for indefinite delays or moving goalposts.

Conclusion: Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence

Donut Lab deserves recognition for putting verifiable claims into the market rather than floating another concept that may never materialize. The partnership with Verge Motorcycles and the claimed immediate availability create accountability. However, the specifications claimed—particularly the combination of all these advances simultaneously—strain credulity given the struggles of larger organizations working on similar technologies.

History counsels caution when startups claim to have leapfrogged decades of research by the world’s leading battery scientists and manufacturers. Over the next few months, reality will provide the verdict. Real motorcycles will be in real customers’ hands. Independent testing will occur. The technology will either perform as advertised or it won’t.

Until then, Donut Lab’s announcement represents either the most significant battery breakthrough in decades or one of the most ambitious claims in an industry already saturated with them. Time will tell which.

EVreporter will continue monitoring developments in Donut Lab’s technology and will provide updates as independent verification becomes available.

Also read: China’s Solid-State Battery Shipments are Projected to Reach 70 GWh by 2030