For years, solid-state batteries have been treated like the EV industry’s “next big thing”—always promising, always just around the corner. Now, Donut Lab says that future has finally arrived.
The Finnish startup claims it has developed the first fully solid-state battery that’s ready for real-world production, not a lab prototype or a limited experiment. If true, this could mark a genuine turning point for electric vehicles, from motorcycles and cars to trucks and industrial machines.
What makes Donut Lab’s battery different is what it doesn’t have: liquid electrolytes. By going fully solid-state, the company says it has unlocked a rare mix of benefits the EV world has been chasing for over a decade—much higher energy density, dramatically faster charging, improved safety, and an exceptionally long lifespan.
Crucially, Donut Lab insists this isn’t just talk. The company says its battery cells and modules are already available to partners, with gigawatt-hour-scale production capacity in place. In other words, this technology is supposedly ready to be built in meaningful volumes today—not years from now.
The headline numbers are bold. Donut Lab claims an energy density of 400 Wh/kg, nearly double what many current lithium-ion batteries deliver. Charging is where things really get attention-grabbing: a full charge in as little as five minutes, repeated for up to 100,000 charge cycles, without the need to baby the battery by stopping at 80%.
Temperature performance is another strong point. According to the company, the battery retains over 99% of its capacity in conditions ranging from -30°C to 100°C, and it won’t ignite even if damaged—addressing one of the biggest safety concerns surrounding today’s battery packs.
Donut Lab is also pitching this technology as more sustainable and easier to scale. The company says its battery doesn’t rely on rare materials, making it less vulnerable to supply-chain issues or geopolitical tensions, and potentially cheaper to manufacture than conventional lithium-ion batteries.
The first public look at the technology will come at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, where Donut Lab plans to put its claims on display in front of the global tech and automotive industries.
More importantly, this battery isn’t waiting for a future car to prove itself. Donut Lab already has a real-world application through its partnership with Verge Motorcycles, a company known for pushing unconventional EV engineering.
According to both companies, the Verge TS Pro will become the first production vehicle powered by a fully solid-state battery, with customer deliveries expected in the first quarter of this year. In everyday terms, the results are promising: the standard bike maintains a city range of 217 miles, while a larger battery—fitting in the same space—extends that figure to 370 miles. Charging time, meanwhile, drops to under 10 minutes.
If these claims hold up beyond early adopters and limited production, Donut Lab may have done what countless companies have promised but failed to deliver—turn solid-state batteries from a futu
