Finnish deep-tech firm Donut Lab has unveiled what it describes as a production-ready solid-state EV battery that achieves 400 Wh/kg energy density and full recharge in just five minutes. The company says the first commercial deployment will arrive in Verge Motorcycles’ TS Pro and TS Ultra electric bikes in Q1 2026.
What Donut Lab says it has solved
The cells eliminate the liquid electrolyte that has historically posed the main fire risk in lithium-ion packs, replacing it with a solid composite separator that the company claims tolerates -30°C to over 100°C operation. Donut Lab disclosed bench data showing 99 percent capacity retention after 100,000 charge cycles — a number that, if validated independently, would put the cell well above incumbent lithium-iron-phosphate options on cycle life.
First application: an electric motorcycle
Rather than chasing a passenger-car partnership first, Donut Lab is using Verge’s in-rim-motor TS series as a proving ground. Motorcycles need less total energy per pack, allowing the supplier to iterate on chemistry, packaging and validation faster than a full automotive program would permit.
How it stacks up against the field
Donut Lab’s announcement adds to a string of solid-state milestones in 2026. China’s Greater Bay Technology rolled its first A-sample all-solid-state cells off a production line targeting a 621-mile single-charge range, and Pure Lithium raised a 500 MWh-scale Pre-A+ earlier this year. The field is moving from lab prototypes to small-volume, real-world vehicle deployment.
What to watch
The credibility test for any solid-state announcement is repeatable performance outside the lab. Donut Lab says first units shipping in Verge bikes will collect millions of road-mile cycles in 2026, providing the data that automakers want before committing to multi-year supply deals.
Reporting based on coverage from Modified Rides and CleanTechnica.