A breakthrough in battery technology could mark a major turning point for electric vehicles. Donut Lab, a European technology startup, says it has developed the world’s first solid-state battery ready for large-scale commercial production — a claim that, if validated, could reshape everything from electric motorcycles to heavy trucks.
The company says its new battery delivers an energy density of 400 watt-hours per kilogram, significantly higher than today’s best lithium-ion cells, while also charging dramatically faster. According to Donut Lab, the battery can be fully charged in as little as five minutes and withstand up to 100,000 charge cycles without performance degradation.
Why Solid-State Batteries Matter
Unlike conventional lithium-ion batteries, which rely on liquid electrolytes, Donut Lab’s design uses a fully solid architecture. This eliminates several long-standing issues in battery technology, including fire risk, limited lifespan, and performance loss in extreme temperatures.
The company says its battery retains more than 99% of its capacity in environments ranging from –30°C to 100°C (–22°F to 212°F). Even in the event of physical damage, the battery is designed not to ignite — a key safety advantage over traditional cells.
Donut Lab also claims the battery does not require rare or geopolitically sensitive materials, allowing it to be manufactured in nearly any region and at a lower cost than comparable lithium-ion batteries.
From Lab to the Road
The first real-world application of the technology will appear in Verge Motorcycles’ updated TS Pro model. Verge says the new version, scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2026, will be the first production electric vehicle powered by a solid-state battery.
While the base model maintains a city range of about 217 miles, the new battery allows for an optional higher-capacity pack — without increasing battery compartment size — extending range to roughly 370 miles. Charging time has been reduced to under 10 minutes, a change Verge says was intentionally calibrated to allow riders enough time to “grab a coffee” during a stop.
A Long-Awaited Shift
Solid-state batteries have been widely viewed as the “holy grail” of electrification, but commercialization timelines have repeatedly slipped over the past decade. Donut Lab CEO Marko Lehtimäki says the company believes that moment has finally arrived.
“For years, solid-state batteries were always five or ten years away,” Lehtimäki said. “Our answer now is simple: the technology is ready, it can be mass-produced, and vehicles using it are about to enter real-world use.”
Donut Lab says it has achieved gigawatt-hour-scale production capability and plans to supply battery cells and packs to manufacturers globally.
Debut at CES 2026
The company plans to officially unveil the solid-state battery at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on January 6, where industry experts will be watching closely to assess whether the technology can live up to its ambitious claims.
If successful, the development could remove one of the biggest barriers to electric vehicle adoption: long charging times paired with limited range — and finally push solid-state batteries from theory into everyday transportation.
1 Comment
In physics class, our teacher told us that the future of new energy vehicles lies in the development of truly solid-state batteries. She explained that because true solid-state batteries are non-flammable, even if an electric car burns to a shell under extreme conditions, the solid-state battery itself won’t burn. But that’s not the main point. The real key point is that solid-state batteries have virtually zero environmental pollution, are reusable, and their charging speed far surpasses that of liquid batteries. If one day the most advanced solid-state electric car becomes mass-produced, I will definitely buy one immediately; safety is the most important thing.