In January, a Finnish-Estonian startup proclaimed it had developed a really strong state battery, a holy grail for the know-how business. Donut Labs’ cell wasn’t simply strong state, nevertheless. It claimed it was made out of low cost and simply out there supplies, would cost to full in a couple of minutes and final for a whole lot of years. If actual, such a tool would change the face of the world, which is why loads of individuals don’t assume it’s. And, as the corporate makes extra effort to reveal it’s telling the reality, the extra holes persons are discovering to poke their fingers into. So, what the hell is occurring with Donut Labs’ battery? After many weeks of analysis, I’m throwing my fingers within the air, uninterested in the limitless canine and pony present the corporate is placing on.
Strong state batteries
Standard batteries have improved quite a bit in the previous couple of a long time however stay imperfect in some ways. Cells present in electronics and EVs generally use liquid or gel polymer as an electrolyte. These electrolytes are the reason for thermal runaway, the place the warmth of a battery will increase exponentially, and may turn out to be a major reason behind battery failure and hearth. Plus, they’re fairly fussy, requiring a constant temperature for peak efficiency and to be handled fairly delicately. It’s why the business has raced to develop a strong state battery that eliminates the liquid or gel polymer.
Due to their greater power density, strong state batteries ought to be lighter and smaller per watt than typical batteries. These advantages could be loved broadly however are very important for an EV the place weight and dimension dictate a lot of the way it operates. Strong state batteries are at far much less threat of thermal runaway, and will work in a a lot wider temperature window. Now, we’re already seeing loads of semi-solid batteries coming into the market, with fully-solid cells anticipated within the close to future. Chinese language battery large CATL advised BatteriesNews on the finish of 2025 that its first small-scale manufacturing of strong state batteries is anticipated to start in 2027. Nevertheless, these first manufacturing runs are prone to be restricted reasonably than international rollouts.
Donut Lab
Enter Donut Lab. The startup is a subsidiary of Finnish bike maker Verge Bikes, well-known for its Tron-style hubless (in-wheel) rear-wheel motor. Verge says it has constructed the “world’s strongest electrical motor household,” and that it made “all of the parts wanted to construct an electrical automobile.” Verge’s motors have since been included into Longbow Motors’ lately introduced Speedster EV.
At CES 2026, Donut Lab introduced it had constructed the world’s “first full all-solid-state battery.” It stated this wasn’t only a prototype, however was “able to energy up manufacturing automobiles now.” In a shiny promotional video, the corporate stated it had solved the problems the entire business had been working to unravel for many years. There was nothing however upside, with not one of the trade-offs its rivals had been pressured to make whereas growing their very own strong state batteries. And, it was able to be included into EVs beginning at the moment. Verge Bikes introduced it will add the battery into its TS Professional, with shipments anticipated to start Q1 2026.
Donut Labs’ battery
The corporate’s intensive checklist of claims begins by saying the cell has an power density of 400Wh per kilogram, roughly twice the power density of the perfect lithium ion battery available on the market. Proper now, you must count on to get round 1,000 cost and discharge cycles out of any half-decent battery. Donut Labs is promising its cell will final for a whopping 100,000 cycles, even in the event you’re fast-charging the cell. The corporate guarantees customers will be capable of attain an 80 % cost from zero in round 5 minutes, and get to full in below six. Donut stated the cell presents a “clay-like” freedom of design, adapting to the particular wants of a particular product, reasonably than the opposite means round.
Naturally, pumping all of that energy into such a small cell will imply it’ll want a whole lot of babying, proper? Not based on Donut Lab, which says its battery will function in temperatures as little as -30 levels Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit) or as scorching as 100 levels Celsius (212 Fahrenheit). And, to prime it off, it’s made out of frequent, easily-available and low cost supplies that are “geopolitically protected,” reasonably than from rare-earth minerals typically held by rival nations. All of which means the cell will likely be cheaper to provide than the equal lithium ion cell and, better of all, Donut stated the battery is prepared for scaled manufacturing.
A battery that promised some of those options could be world-changing; one providing all of them could be world-shattering. It will upend provide chains, shift the worldwide stability of energy, probably eradicate reliance on so-called uncommon earth minerals and supercharge EV adoption. However Donut Lab supplied no proof for its claims, no trace as to what its course of was primarily based upon, and no signal it had the manufacturing capability to ship on its guarantees. Naturally, lots of people simply didn’t consider what they have been seeing and listening to, and referred to as BS.
Individuals are suspicious
Yang Hongqin, CEO of Chinese language battery maker Svolt, was quoted by CarNewsChina as saying “any particular person with even a primary understanding of the know-how would assume it’s a rip-off.” Finnish newspaper Iltalehti reported that CATL’s enterprise capital head Ulderico Ulissi described the matter as “clearly pretend.” That remark prompted Donut CEO Marko Lehtimäki to reply on LinkedIn, saying that Ulissi would “remorse the vanity.” Tom Bötticher, CEO of battery startup Litona, posted on LinkedIn his perception Donut’s know-how is definitely tied to an organization Donut invested in, Nordic Nano. Bötticher discovered a pitch deck, which is now not out there (however is right here on the Web Archive) which described Nordic’s power storage know-how as a supercapacitor.
Some have identified that Lehtimäki has a observe document of constructing sturdy claims about his merchandise. On Could 15, 2025, he introduced an AI startup, ASILAB, and stated in a equally shiny launch video that his crew had created a “artificial counterpart” to the human mind. Its first product, ASINOID, Lehtimäki stated, is a “dynamic self-developing organism designed to develop in functionality and in consciousness.” The corporate stated it will open up entry to ASINOID, however I’ve been unable to seek out any proof that any such entry has been granted. ASILAB has not responded to our request for remark.
Equally salty write-ups could be present in ElectronicDesign, MIT Tech Review, Interesting Engineering, InsideEVs and nearly each Reddit, YCombinator and Hacker Information thread discussing the know-how.
I Donut Consider.com
In response to the minor social media backlash, Donut Labs went on the offensive. It launched the web site IDonutBelieve.com promising a weekly drop of so-called proof to assist its claims. In a elegant video introduction, Lehtimäki stated the criticism comes from events with vested pursuits, corresponding to rivals. He addressed the above assault traces immediately, saying individuals have been assembling theories from scraps of on-line information to create an unfaithful image. He additionally denied claims the battery was a supercapacitor.
In the identical video, Lehtimäki stated the media has amplified “so-called specialists” from the battery business, taking their opinions at “face worth.” Naturally, rival researchers who would stand to realize by taking down a possible challenger have a pure want to garbage Donut’s claims. However as a result of a lot of them are credentialled specialists within the area, their authority was elevated above his personal.
Crucially, Lehtimäki stated Donut didn’t publish validation assessments on the time of announcement as it will have been equally dismissed by those self same biased voices. By holding the proof again, he stated it pressured Donut’s rivals to basically present their hand, making it simpler to refute them. To take action, Donut engaged VTT Finland, a government-owned analysis group which presents testing companies to 3rd events. VTT has performed particular assessments on cells equipped by Donut, the outcomes of which the corporate has launched piecemeal over a number of weeks.
It’s necessary to notice that VTT’s stories don't make any statements which could possibly be seen to assist Donut’s claims. As an illustration, it says it was requested to “conduct impartial charging efficiency assessments on the power storage gadgets equipped by the shopper, which the shopper recognized as solid-state battery cells.”
The assessments
Donut Lab printed a check for 5 weeks, each each designed to indicate off one key characteristic of the battery. Check One noticed VTT quick cost a cell past the restrict of a daily battery, after which it nonetheless had near 100% of its cost out there to be used. In Check Two, VTT charged the cell to full, after which discharged it in high-temperature environments. As soon as that was carried out, the cell was charged once more at a standard temperature, however researchers famous that the pouch misplaced vacuum. Donut Lab later stated the vacuum loss was attributable to the packaging supplies not having the ability to stand up to the temperature, reasonably than a difficulty with the battery itself.
A VTT spokesperson advised me “in the course of the last stage of producing, all gases are faraway from the cell, and the cell is sealed tightly below vacuum situations. The cell feels agency. If the cell loses its vacuum, it normally turns into barely gentle and swollen.” Primarily, if a battery loses its vacuum, it means it’s began swelling, which is seen within the pictures from the report. Swelling is deadly to a conventional lithium ion battery and, probably, the gadget it’s related to.
Check Three presupposed to disprove the concept that Donut was secretly promoting a supercapacitor, so VTT charged the cell to full and let it sit idle for 10 days. On the finish of that point, the cost stage of the battery appeared to carry regular, with a small drop generally seen in all batteries. Which appeared to substantiate the cell was a battery, reasonably than a capacitor which can wrestle to carry its cost over longer intervals of time. Check 4 was performed by Donut Lab itself, taking a prototype of its battery in a Verge bike to a quick charger. The cell had a rated capability of 18kWh and it was charged from 9 % to 80 % — round 14.5kWh — in 12 minutes.
Check 5 centered on the cell from Check Two which misplaced its vacuum, to show it was not damaged. VTT’s report says it cycled the damaged cell 50 occasions (as much as 90 % of its full cost) to see what occurred. VTT’s researchers stated it was doable to cycle the cell, however that its capability started to degrade after the primary few, and by the tip of the method, it had fallen to just about half of its authentic determine. The cell itself had swelled, nevertheless, with VTT saying “the cell thickness had elevated by 17 %, and the cell pouch was agency.” Donut Lab boasted that whereas a lithium ion battery on this situation would doubtless explode, its personal cell nonetheless labored.
When contacted, VTT stated it did full an task for Donut Lab however declined to make any particular touch upon confidential shopper assignments.
On March 31, Verge Bikes posted a video claiming the TS Professional Gen 2, the primary to hold Donut’s strong state battery, was able to ship. Given March 31 is the final day of Q1, it’s the newest doable day the corporate may announce this and say it has honored its promise. The accompanying write-up stated the bike will ship with both a standard-range 20kWh battery with a variety of 350km (217 miles) or a long-range 33kWh battery that ought to run for 600km (372 miles).
April 1
Then, on April 1, the corporate posted a video starting with a fakeout scene of Lehtimäki admitting the entire thing had been a rip-off. One arduous lower later, and the clip pivots right into a Q&A, with an off-screen interviewer asking why anybody would consider Lehtimäki on April Fools Day. He dryly responded that folks don’t consider him the remainder of the time, however that the anomaly supplied by the event was a profit. He would be capable of converse extra freely with much less concern of censure, or so he claimed.
Lehtimäki stated the collection of I Donut Consider assessments already printed have been one other a part of his “3D chess” technique to get battery rivals to indicate their hand. And that the assessments undertaken by VTT have been on a first-generation battery whereas the corporate was already engaged on the second. He did concede that the claims round cycle life have been primarily based on estimates, and that in the event that they needed to show it, they might have wanted to start out testing a decade or extra in the past. However he batted away questions on power density, weight and dimension, saying you “wouldn’t ask a lady her age, and also you by no means ask a battery its weight.” He added these questions could be answered in future, in additional episodes of the I Donut Consider “full multimedia expertise.”
Consequently, the weekly video collection will proceed till the total particulars of the primary era battery have been revealed. Lehtimäki then teased that this cell could be delivery, and the movies will shift focus to the second-generation cell with much better specs. However producing the I Donut Consider collection — which, it’s value mentioning is a advertising perform of the corporate making an attempt to promote us a brand new product — was pricey, and had run over price range, which has led the corporate to open its personal merch retailer, together with $70 t-shirts and $141 hoodies.
In case you’re already dealing with credible accusations of perpetuating a rip-off, and your large reveal is to double down on misdirection, it’s not a great look. Lehtimäki ended the video by speaking about how significantly better Donut Labs’ second-generation battery was, with a staged outtake displaying a notepad itemizing the specs for a third-generation battery with 1,000 Wh/kg power density, 100C cost pace and sturdiness for 1,000,000 cycles — as a result of be introduced at a future CES.
Evaluation
The discharge of those assessments has seen elements of the web have interaction in a near-Zapruder stage of interrogation. Folks have pored over each aspect of the stories and movies making an attempt to work out what precisely is inside Donut Lab’s battery. A lot of distinguished YouTubers have produced deep dives on the matter, each claiming the cell is actual, or not. There are numerous Reddit threads the place persons are choosing aside the voltage graphs and claims within the stories. And it appears each week there’s a new revelation about what Donut’s know-how is and the place it got here from. Loads of individuals on-line are chasing down threads tied to power know-how corporations like Holyvolt and CT-Coating, or inspecting the cost graphs towards a nickel manganese cobalt cell. I’ll spare you the small print (for now). Finnish newspaper Kauppalehti decried the outcomes of the fifth check, saying the cell didn’t lose its vacuum. It quoted Finnish battery skilled Juho Heiska, who stated the corporate has simply used a conventional cell that’s sufficiently hardy to resist this abuse within the brief time period.
Even to a non-expert, there’s clearly a niche between what Donut promised and what its assessments are displaying. As an illustration, the corporate stated it will be capable of quick cost a Verge TS to full in lower than 10 minutes. However, in Check 4, it took 12 minutes to get from 9 % to 80 % — not a foul charging time, however actually not as swift as the corporate pledged. That stated, if we take the corporate’s claims at face worth, then having the ability to quick cost a battery at that kind of pace with simply air cooling is noteworthy. Not less than, it will likely be if you are able to do that recurrently, and one or two journeys to the charger don’t go away you with what Reddit likes to name a Spicy Pillow afterward.
Sadly, it’s been troublesome to seek out battery researchers keen to go on the document about Donut Labs. I sought out specialists in academia who weren’t tied to business backing, and so wouldn’t be accused of getting a vested curiosity within the matter. However all of them refused to go on the document. Multiple I contacted stated they have been effectively conscious of the saga, and had loads of emotions in regards to the matter. However they have been unwilling to reveal themselves to the possibly intensive social media scrutiny that comes from weighing in.
I’m Donut skeptical
Personally, I’ve been suspicious of how Donut Labs has gone about demonstrating its know-how. In spite of everything, in the event you have been really assured about your product and its know-how, you’ll absolutely be capable of share primary details about it. Desk stakes stuff, like the load and dimension of the battery cell you handed over for testing. As ElectronicDesign notes, information like that might assist us all see if its power density claims maintain water. As a substitute, the corporate has engaged in an ornate kabuki which solely serves to additional undermine its case. You possibly can go a good distance on the again of little or no belief, however the grander the guarantees get and the much less keen you’re to share proof, the quicker that belief evaporates.
And, you understand how somebody spends a whole lot of time speaking round one thing, in order to not be caught in a deliberate lie? Donut Labs’ movies can really feel quite a bit like that, since there are such a lot of issues it’s deliberately not making clear. Somewhat than taking the prospect to supply even a small quantity of substantive proof to assist its preliminary claims, it has as a substitute moved the goalposts. So, reasonably than speaking in regards to the efficacy of its first-generation product, it’s dangling the second and third in entrance of us to hopefully distract us.
Look, I wish to be even-handed, and provides the corporate the fairest shake that I can, and clearly if the cell can ship on its guarantees, I’ll be overjoyed. However we’ve all seen scams earlier than, and till Donut Lab begins providing up much more information, it hasn’t earned something near the advantage of the doubt.
This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/whats-going-on-with-donut-lab-173007121.html?src=rss