Key Points
- Donut Lab’s Claim: At CES 2026, the Finnish-Estonian startup Donut Lab announced the “world’s first mass-producible all-solid-state battery” applicable to vehicles, with production already underway.
- Impressive Specs (Company Claims): The battery reportedly boasts an energy density of 400 Wh/kg, a 5-minute full charge time, over 100,000 charging cycles before significant degradation (a 50x improvement over current lithium batteries), and maintains 99% capacity from -30°C to over 100°C.
- Proprietary Materials: Unlike traditional solid-state batteries, Donut Lab claims its technology uses no lithium or rare earth elements, keeping the core materials and production processes confidential. Cost is reportedly comparable to Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) batteries.
- Skepticism and Verification: While the claims are revolutionary, there’s no official third-party verification or academic papers yet. Donut Lab anticipates a “six-month first-mover advantage” before competitors reverse-engineer their technology once Verge Motorcycles, equipped with these batteries, are delivered in 2026.
- Proprietary Materials: Uses no lithium or rare earth elements, reducing supply chain risk.
- Cost Efficiency: Production costs are comparable to budget-friendly LFP batteries.
- Unprecedented Longevity: 100,000 cycles means the battery could outlast the vehicle by decades.
- Extreme Fast Charging: 5-minute full charge potential challenges the convenience of gasoline.
At CES 2026, a Finnish-Estonian startup just dropped what could be one of the biggest battery breakthroughs in decades.
We’re talking about all-solid-state battery technology—the holy grail of energy storage that’s been stuck in labs for years—suddenly going mass-production ready.
Here’s what you need to know about this moment, the skepticism surrounding it, and what it could mean for the future of electric vehicles.
The CES 2026 Moment That Caught Everyone Off Guard
On January 7, 2026, a reporter from Yicai (Di Yi Cai Jing 第一财经) walked into the CES booth of a company called Donut Lab.
The vibe was unmistakable.
Employees were repeating the same phrase over and over to booth visitors: “Big News, Big News.”
And they weren’t exaggerating.
Donut Lab—a startup that originated in Finland and is headquartered in Estonia—just claimed something that’s been the white whale of the battery industry for over a decade:
- The “world’s first mass-producible all-solid-state battery applicable to actual vehicles”
- Battery technology that’s finally ready to leave the lab
- A potential game-changer that could outpace automotive giants like Tesla and Toyota
For context: solid-state batteries have been the theoretical next-gen solution for years, but actually manufacturing them at scale has been the brick wall nobody could break through.
Until now, apparently.
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The Specs Are Wild (If True)
According to Donut Lab’s official data, this all-solid-state battery delivers some genuinely impressive numbers:
- Energy density: 400 Wh/kg
- Charge time: Full charge in 5 minutes
- Cycle durability: Minimal capacity loss after 100,000 charging cycles
- Temperature range: Maintains over 99% capacity from -30°C to over 100°C
- Safety: No flammable liquid electrolytes means zero thermal runaway or dendrite formation risk
- Physical integrity: Won’t catch fire or explode even if damaged
To put that in perspective: current lithium batteries typically degrade significantly after 1,000-2,000 cycles.
We’re talking about a 50x improvement in cycle life.
The battery is already equipped in electric motorcycles from Verge Motorcycles, with deliveries planned to begin in 2026.
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The Skepticism Was Instant (And Justified)
Here’s where the story gets interesting—and a little murky.
The moment Donut Lab’s announcement hit the internet, the tech and investment worlds split into two camps:
Camp A: “This is legitimately revolutionary”
Camp B: “Show us third-party verification or we’re not buying it”
And honestly? Camp B has some solid points.
Right now, literally all the data about this all-solid-state battery breakthrough comes directly from Donut Lab’s own announcements and media coverage based on those announcements.
There’s a crucial gap here:
- Zero public test reports from independent, authoritative third-party organizations confirming the specs
- No academic papers detailing the technology (intentional, according to the company)
- Recent company history: Donut Lab was spun off from Verge Motorcycles just in 2024
- Limited public information about CEO Marko Lehtimäki’s R&D background
When journalists reached out for deeper details, Donut Lab responded with a standard corporate promotional email.
Not exactly the transparency you’d expect from a company making revolutionary_claims.
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Inside the Booth: What Actually Exists
The reporter got access to the Donut Lab booth on January 7.
Here’s what was actually there:
A large promotional wall read: “World’s first solid-state battery in production vehicles. Available today.”
Central to the booth setup:
- An electric motorcycle powered by the all-solid-state battery
- The newly released battery itself—a black, rectangular block on display
- Staff explaining the modular design allows different capacity requirements through module combinations
Interestingly, the booth wasn’t crowded with casual attendees.
But the professional inquiries never stopped.
Industry experts from the automotive supply chain, car manufacturers, and logistics companies kept showing up with the same expression: skeptical but extremely interested.
One representative from a major car manufacturer admitted straight up: “I simply didn’t believe it when I first heard the news.”
Over the past few days, Donut Lab had hosted representatives from:
- Global automakers
- Shipping companies
- Aviation firms
- Power companies
The company had been operating in “stealth mode” during R&D and only revealed the results days before CES.
Translation: they caught everyone off guard on purpose.
The Material Secret: No Lithium, No Rare Earths (But They’re Not Telling)
Here’s the real tension.
Every single visitor at the booth asked the same core question:
“What materials are used to make this battery?”
The company’s answer?
Not telling.
According to Donut Lab staff:
- Core materials and production processes are proprietary and confidential
- Technical details won’t be published in academic papers
- The research approach is completely different from traditional solid-state battery development
But here’s what they did confirm:
No rare earth elements.
No lithium.
This is huge because:
- Most solid-state battery developers chase specific rare materials (which creates supply chain vulnerabilities)
- Donut Lab apparently found a completely different solid-state path
- Production costs are reportedly comparable to Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) batteries
- The technology is supposedly ready for rapid large-scale mass production
They’re essentially saying: “We cracked the code using common materials nobody else thought to use this way.”
If true, that changes everything about battery economics.
Production Plans and Pricing
On the manufacturing side, here’s where Donut Lab’s confidence becomes visible:
- Current production capacity: Approximately 1 GWh
- Planned capacity by early next year: 20 to 30 GWh
That’s aggressive scaling.
The Verge Motorcycles equipped with this all-solid-state battery are priced at $35,000 USD (¥251,400 RMB).
Customers who originally ordered motorcycles expecting lithium batteries now have the option to upgrade to the all-solid-state version.
One key detail from the staff:
“After the products are delivered, customers will certainly disassemble and study them, but until then, we will keep it strictly confidential.”
They’re fully aware that reverse-engineering is coming the moment motorcycles hit customers’ hands.
The Verification Question (Still Unanswered)
This is where things get fuzzy.
When asked if key claims like the “5-minute charge” and “100,000 cycles” had been verified by third parties, the staff gave slightly different answers:
First response: One staff member explained the 5-minute charge occurs under ideal conditions. Using a 100kW charging pile currently takes about 10 minutes.
Second response: Another staff member clarified the battery is currently undergoing independent external testing, with results expected public in two weeks.
The timeline matters here:
- Motorcycles will start delivering in 2026
- Competitors will immediately tear them down to understand the technology
- Donut Lab believes they have approximately a six-month first-mover advantage
- They need that window to capture market share before others catch up
- Patents will provide legal protection, but replication will inevitably follow
One staff member’s philosophy: “The development of battery technology is not just about improving efficiency; it requires disruptive innovation. It is indeed an extremely challenging technology.”
The implication is clear: they’re racing against the clock.
What Actually Matters Here
Let’s be direct about what we’re looking at:
Scenario A (The Optimistic Take): Donut Lab genuinely solved the all-solid-state battery mass production problem using a novel approach with common materials. If verified, this is legitimately industry-changing.
Scenario B (The Cautious Take): The company made impressive claims with limited third-party verification. We’re waiting for actual products in customer hands and independent testing before drawing conclusions.
The next 6-12 months will be telling.
The real test comes when:
- First customers receive and use the Verge Motorcycles
- Independent teardowns happen (inevitably)
- Third-party testing results go public
- Real-world performance data emerges from actual users
Whether this is a breakthrough that rewrites battery industry rules or a compelling story waiting for proof still depends on one thing: delivered results.
The answer lies in the hands of the first users.
Why This Matters for the Industry
If Donut Lab’s claims hold up, the implications are massive:
- Supply chain resilience: No lithium or rare earths means less geopolitical risk
- Cost structure: Comparable to LFP pricing but with superior performance opens new markets
- Charging speed: 5-10 minute full charges (even under ideal conditions) changes user behavior
- Cycle durability: 100,000+ cycles extends vehicle lifespan significantly
- Safety profile: No thermal runaway risk is a genuine competitive advantage
The companies watching closest right now are probably:
- Traditional automakers (Tesla, Toyota, GM, Volkswagen)
- Chinese EV manufacturers (NIO, XPeng, Li Auto)
- Battery specialists (CATL, BYD)
- Energy storage companies (utilities, grid operators)
All-solid-state battery technology isn’t just about personal vehicles—it’s about energy storage infrastructure, aviation, and industrial applications.
Getting this right opens trillion-dollar markets.
The Bottom Line
Donut Lab just made one of the boldest claims in battery technology in years.
The specs are impressive.
The roadmap is aggressive.
The secrecy is frustrating.
But here’s what matters: we have actual motorcycles being built and delivered this year.
This isn’t vaporware.
It’s real hardware with real customers who will provide real data.
The all-solid-state battery revolution might actually be here.
We’ll know for sure when the first users unbox their motorcycles and put this technology to the test.
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