{"id":1860010,"date":"2026-04-01T17:30:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T14:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1860010"},"modified":"2026-04-01T17:30:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T14:30:07","slug":"whats-going-on-with-donut-lab","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1860010","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s going on with Donut Lab?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/9B3019201789C057683B6586E947D0928B057FD1A1CB12FA8CDC5B7BBEDF496C\/subgraphmysterio\/resizefit_w1200;quality_90;format_webp\/https:%2F%2Fs.yimg.com%2Fos%2Fcreatr-uploaded-images%2F2026-04%2F9940dde0-2de2-11f1-abda-fa4d5c905416&#8243;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"article-3732201d-fc15-431a-bdb5-276a91d2104d\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"mx-auto flex flex-row justify-between md:px-10 md:max-w-[1220px]\">\n<div class=\"min-w-0 flex-1 self-start\" data-i13n-boundary=\"true\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<nav class=\"relative mx-4 mb-4 border-b pb-4 md:mx-0 md:mb-6 md:max-w-[750px] md:pb-6\" aria-label=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<ol class=\"no-scrollbar overflow-scroll whitespace-nowrap text-battleship\">\n<li class=\"inline\">\n<li class=\"inline-block cursor-default last:pr-10 md:last:pr-20 font-bold\">Transportation<\/li>\n<li class=\"inline-block cursor-default last:pr-10 md:last:pr-20 ml-2 before:mb-0.5 before:mr-3 before:inline-block before:size-2 before:rotate-45 before:border-r-2 before:border-t-2 before:border-battleship\">EVs<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<header class=\"mb-4 px-4 md:mb-6 md:max-w-[750px] md:px-0\">\n<h1 class=\"layout-h1 my-2 font-bold leading-tight\">What\u2019s going on with Donut Lab?<\/h1>\n<h2 class=\"rightrail-h2-subheadline my-2 text-[18px] font-light leading-5 md:text-[20px]\/[28px]\">It has made some bold claims, but hasn&#8217;t been so forthcoming with proof.<\/h2>\n<div class=\"flex-col items-start lg:flex lg:flex-row lg:items-center lg:justify-between mt-6\">\n<div class=\"relative md:mr-[10px]\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center\">\n<div class=\"flex mr-2\">\n<div class=\"shrink-0 cursor-pointer inline-block size-[42px]\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt role=\"img\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full rounded-full object-cover object-center shadow-[0_0_0_2px_#ffffff]\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/dNvrmUTSbIIGU53EyyUmxA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTgwO2g9ODA-\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2023-11\/53c59e20-823d-11ee-9f7e-ac80727f4dd2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"inline-block\">\n<div class=\"w-max text-[0.875rem]\/[1.25rem] font-semibold flex items-center\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col\">\n<div class=\"flex w-max items-center\">Daniel Cooper<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"font-normal sm:before:inline-block\">Senior Editor<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text-[0.75rem] text-dolphin dark:text-shark md:text-[0.875rem]\/[1.25rem] lg:pt-[5px]\">\n<div class=\"inline-block\"><time datetime=\"2026-04-01T17:30:07.000Z\">Wed, April 1, 2026 at 5:30 PM UTC<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ml-0 mt-4 flex items-center lg:ml-3 lg:mt-0\">\n<div class=\"ml-0 mr-2\">\n<div class=\"relative flex\">Add Engadget on Google<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"mx-4 md:mx-0\">\n<div class=\"grid grid-cols-[[fullbleed-start_body-start]_minmax(auto,750px)_[body-end_fullbleed-end]]\">\n<figure class=\"relative col-body mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative overflow-hidden fig-image-round \"><img decoding=\"async\" alt class=\"object-cover object-center\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/nAiP3Uqg6tL1bOOnLFzqWw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyNDI7aD02OTk-\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2026-04\/9940dde0-2de2-11f1-abda-fa4d5c905416\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-[0.875rem]\/[1.25rem] figure-caption mt-1 line-clamp-2 mt-2.5 md:mt-2 pr-2.5\">\n<div><span>Donut Lab<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid grid-cols-article-mobile md:max-w-[750px] md:grid-cols-article\" data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">In January, a Finnish-Estonian startup proclaimed it had developed a truly solid state battery, a holy grail for the technology industry. Donut Labs\u2019 cell wasn\u2019t just solid state, however. It claimed it was made from cheap and easily available materials, would charge to full in a few minutes and last for hundreds of years. If real, such a device would change the face of the world, which is why plenty of people don\u2019t think it is. And, as the company makes more effort to demonstrate it is telling the truth, the more holes people are finding to poke their fingers into. So, what the hell is going on with Donut Labs\u2019 battery? After many weeks of research, I\u2019m throwing my hands in the air, tired of the endless dog and pony show the company is putting on.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading-mb col-body heading-text-style font-bold charcoal-color\" data-jump-link-target id=\"solid-state-batteries\">Solid state batteries<\/h2>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Conventional batteries have improved a lot in the last few decades but remain imperfect in many ways. Cells found in electronics and EVs commonly use liquid or gel polymer as an electrolyte. These electrolytes are the cause of thermal runaway, where the heat of a battery increases exponentially, and can become a primary cause of battery failure and fire. Plus, they\u2019re pretty fussy, requiring a consistent temperature for peak performance and to be treated pretty delicately. It\u2019s why the industry has raced to develop a solid state battery that eliminates the liquid or gel polymer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Because of their higher energy density, solid state batteries should be lighter and smaller per watt than conventional batteries. These benefits would be enjoyed widely but are vital for an EV where weight and size dictate so much of how it operates. Solid state batteries are at far less risk of thermal runaway, and should work in a much wider temperature window. Now, we are already seeing plenty of semi-solid batteries coming into the market, with fully-solid cells expected in the near future. Chinese battery giant CATL told <em><ins>BatteriesNews<\/ins><\/em> at the end of 2025 that its first small-scale production of solid state batteries is anticipated to begin in 2027. However, those first production runs are likely to be limited rather than global rollouts.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading-mb col-body heading-text-style font-bold charcoal-color\" data-jump-link-target id=\"donut-lab\">Donut Lab<\/h2>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Enter Donut Lab. The startup is a subsidiary of Finnish motorcycle maker Verge Motorcycles, famous for its <em><ins>Tron<\/ins><\/em><ins>-style hubless (in-wheel) rear-wheel motor<\/ins>. Verge says it has built the \u201cworld\u2019s most powerful electric motor family,\u201d and that it made \u201call the components needed to build an electric vehicle.\u201d Verge\u2019s motors have since been incorporated into <ins>Longbow Motors\u2019<\/ins> recently announced Speedster EV.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">At CES 2026, Donut Lab <ins>announced<\/ins> it had built the world\u2019s \u201cfirst full all-solid-state battery.\u201d It said this wasn\u2019t just a prototype, but was \u201cready to power up production vehicles now.\u201d In a glossy promotional video, the company said it had solved the issues the whole industry had been working to solve for decades. There was nothing but upside, with none of the trade-offs its competitors had been forced to make while developing their own solid state batteries. And, it was ready to be incorporated into EVs starting today. Verge Motorcycles announced it would add the battery into its TS Pro, with shipments expected to begin Q1 2026.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading-mb col-body heading-text-style font-bold charcoal-color\" data-jump-link-target id=\"donut-labs-battery\">Donut Labs\u2019 battery<\/h2>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">The company\u2019s <ins>extensive list of claims<\/ins> begins by saying the cell has an energy density of 400Wh per kilogram, roughly twice the <ins>energy<\/ins> density of the best lithium ion battery on the market. Right now, you should expect to get around 1,000 charge and discharge cycles out of any half-decent battery. Donut Labs is promising its cell will last for a whopping <em>100,000<\/em> cycles, even if you\u2019re fast-charging the cell. The company promises users will be able to reach an 80 percent charge from zero in around five minutes, and get to full in under six. Donut said the cell offers a \u201cclay-like\u201d freedom of design, adapting to the specific needs of a specific product, rather than the other way around.<\/p>\n<div class=\"col-fullbleed mb-4 bg-marshmallow pb-5 dark:bg-ramones md:invisible md:mb-0 md:h-0 md:overflow-hidden md:pb-0\">\n<div class=\"py-2 text-center text-xs uppercase\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-nowrap justify-center\">\n<div class=\"flex\" id=\"_R_2cgb7b4ilfeiv5tilbH1_\">\n<div class=\"flex size-full items-center justify-center bg-marshmallow text-center leading-3\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Naturally, pumping all of that power into such a small cell will mean it\u2019ll need a lot of babying, right? Not according to Donut Lab, which says its battery will operate in temperatures as low as -30 degrees Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit) or as hot as 100 degrees Celsius (212 Fahrenheit). And, to top it off, it\u2019s made from common, easily-available and cheap materials which are \u201cgeopolitically safe,\u201d rather than from rare-earth minerals sometimes held by rival nations. All of that means the cell will be cheaper to produce than the equivalent lithium ion cell and, best of all, Donut said the battery is ready for scaled production.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">A battery that promised <em>some<\/em> of these features would be world-changing; one offering all of them would be world-shattering. It would upend supply chains, shift the global balance of power, potentially eliminate reliance on so-called rare earth minerals and supercharge EV adoption. But Donut Lab offered no proof for its claims, no hint as to what its process was based upon, and no sign it had the manufacturing capacity to deliver on its promises. Naturally, a lot of people just didn\u2019t believe what they were seeing and hearing, and called BS.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading-mb col-body heading-text-style font-bold charcoal-color\" data-jump-link-target id=\"people-are-suspicious\">People are suspicious<\/h2>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Yang Hongqin, CEO of Chinese battery maker Svolt, was quoted by <em><ins>CarNewsChina<\/ins><\/em> as saying \u201cany person with even a basic understanding of the technology would think it\u2019s a scam.\u201d Finnish newspaper <em><ins>Iltalehti<\/ins><\/em> reported that CATL\u2019s venture capital head Ulderico Ulissi described the matter as \u201cclearly fake.\u201d That comment prompted Donut CEO Marko Lehtim\u00e4ki to respond on LinkedIn, saying that Ulissi would \u201cregret the arrogance.\u201d Tom B\u00f6tticher, CEO of battery startup Litona, posted on <ins>LinkedIn<\/ins> his belief Donut\u2019s technology is actually tied to a company Donut invested in, Nordic Nano. B\u00f6tticher found a pitch deck, which is no longer available (but is here at the <ins>Internet Archive<\/ins>) which described Nordic\u2019s energy storage technology as a supercapacitor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Some have pointed out that Lehtim\u00e4ki has a track record of making strong claims about his products. On May 15, 2025, he announced an AI startup, ASILAB, and said in a similarly glossy launch video that his team had created a \u201csynthetic counterpart\u201d to the human brain. Its first product, ASINOID, Lehtim\u00e4ki said, is a \u201cdynamic self-developing organism designed to grow in capability and in consciousness.\u201d The company said it would open up access to ASINOID, but I\u2019ve been unable to find any evidence that any such access has been granted. ASILAB has not responded to our request for comment.<\/p>\n<div class=\"col-fullbleed mb-4 bg-marshmallow pb-5 dark:bg-ramones md:invisible md:mb-0 md:h-0 md:overflow-hidden md:pb-0\">\n<div class=\"py-2 text-center text-xs uppercase\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-nowrap justify-center\">\n<div class=\"flex\" id=\"_R_2jgb7b4ilfeiv5tilbH1_\">\n<div class=\"flex size-full items-center justify-center bg-marshmallow text-center leading-3\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Similarly salty write-ups can be found in <em><ins>ElectronicDesign<\/ins><\/em>, <em><ins>MIT Tech Review<\/ins><\/em>, <em><ins>Interesting Engineering<\/ins><\/em>, <em><ins>InsideEVs<\/ins><\/em> and just about every Reddit, YCombinator and Hacker News thread discussing the technology.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading-mb col-body heading-text-style font-bold charcoal-color\" data-jump-link-target id=\"i-donut-believecom\">I Donut Believe.com<\/h2>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">In response to the minor social media backlash, Donut Labs went on the offensive. It launched the website <ins>IDonutBelieve.com<\/ins> promising a weekly drop of so-called evidence to support its claims. In a polished video introduction, Lehtim\u00e4ki said the criticism comes from parties with vested interests, such as competitors. He addressed the above attack lines directly, saying people have been assembling theories from scraps of online data to create an untrue picture. He also denied claims the battery was a supercapacitor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">In the same video, Lehtim\u00e4ki said the media has amplified \u201cso-called experts\u201d from the battery industry, taking their opinions at \u201cface value.\u201d Naturally, rival researchers who would stand to gain by taking down a potential challenger have a natural desire to rubbish Donut\u2019s claims. But because many of them are credentialled experts in the field, their authority was elevated above his own.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Crucially, Lehtim\u00e4ki said Donut didn\u2019t publish validation tests at the time of announcement as it would have been similarly dismissed by those same biased voices. By holding the proof back, he said it forced Donut\u2019s competitors to essentially show their hand, making it easier to refute them. To do so, Donut engaged VTT Finland, a <ins>government-owned<\/ins> research organization which offers <ins>testing services<\/ins> to third <ins>parties.<\/ins> VTT has conducted specific tests on cells supplied by Donut, the results of which the company has released piecemeal over several weeks.<\/p>\n<div class=\"col-fullbleed mb-4 bg-marshmallow pb-5 dark:bg-ramones md:invisible md:mb-0 md:h-0 md:overflow-hidden md:pb-0\">\n<div class=\"py-2 text-center text-xs uppercase\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-nowrap justify-center\">\n<div class=\"flex\" id=\"_R_2qgb7b4ilfeiv5tilbH1_\">\n<div class=\"flex size-full items-center justify-center bg-marshmallow text-center leading-3\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">It\u2019s important to note that <ins>VTT\u2019s reports<\/ins> don&#8217;t make any statements which could be seen to support Donut\u2019s claims. For instance, it says it was asked to \u201cconduct independent charging performance tests on the energy storage devices supplied by the customer, which the customer identified as solid-state battery cells.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading-mb col-body heading-text-style font-bold charcoal-color\" data-jump-link-target id=\"the-tests\">The tests<\/h2>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Donut Lab published a test for five weeks, each one each one designed to show off one key feature of the battery. <ins>Test One<\/ins> saw VTT fast charge a cell beyond the limit of a regular battery, after which it still had close to 100% of its charge available for use. In <ins>Test Two<\/ins>, VTT charged the cell to full, and then discharged it in high-temperature environments. Once that was done, the cell was charged again at a normal temperature, but researchers noted that the pouch lost vacuum. Donut Lab later said the vacuum loss was caused by the packaging materials not being able to withstand the temperature, rather than an issue with the battery itself.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">A VTT spokesperson told me \u201cduring the final stage of manufacturing, all gases are removed from the cell, and the cell is sealed tightly under vacuum conditions. The cell feels firm. If the cell loses its vacuum, it usually becomes slightly soft and swollen.\u201d Essentially, if a battery loses its vacuum, it means it\u2019s started swelling, which is visible in the photos from the report. Swelling is fatal to a traditional lithium ion battery and, potentially, the device it\u2019s connected to.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\"><ins>Test Three<\/ins> purported to disprove the idea that Donut was secretly selling a supercapacitor, so VTT charged the cell to full and let it sit idle for 10 days. At the end of that time, the charge level of the battery appeared to hold steady, with a small drop commonly seen in all batteries. Which appeared to confirm the cell was a battery, rather than a capacitor which may struggle to hold its charge over longer periods of time. Test Four was conducted by Donut Lab itself, taking a prototype of its battery in a Verge motorcycle to a fast charger. The cell had a rated capacity of 18kWh and it was charged from 9 percent to 80 percent \u2014 around 14.5kWh \u2014 in 12 minutes.<\/p>\n<div class=\"col-fullbleed mb-4 bg-marshmallow pb-5 dark:bg-ramones md:invisible md:mb-0 md:h-0 md:overflow-hidden md:pb-0\">\n<div class=\"py-2 text-center text-xs uppercase\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-nowrap justify-center\">\n<div class=\"flex\" id=\"_R_30gb7b4ilfeiv5tilbH1_\">\n<div class=\"flex size-full items-center justify-center bg-marshmallow text-center leading-3\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\"><ins>Test Five<\/ins> focused on the cell from Test Two which lost its vacuum, to prove it was not broken. VTT\u2019s report says it cycled the broken cell 50 times (up to 90 percent of its full charge) to see what happened. VTT\u2019s researchers said it was possible to cycle the cell, but that its capacity began to degrade after the first few, and by the end of the process, it had fallen to nearly half of its original figure. The cell itself had swelled, however, with VTT saying \u201cthe cell thickness had increased by 17 percent, and the cell pouch was firm.\u201d Donut Lab boasted that while a lithium ion battery in this condition would likely explode, its own cell still worked.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">When contacted, VTT said it did complete an assignment for Donut Lab but declined to make any specific comment on confidential client assignments.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">On March 31, Verge Motorcycles posted a <ins>video<\/ins> claiming the TS Pro Gen 2, the first to carry Donut\u2019s solid state battery, was ready to ship. Given March 31 is the last day of Q1, it\u2019s the latest possible day the company could announce this and say it has honored its promise. The accompanying write-up said the bike will ship with either a standard-range 20kWh battery with a range of 350km (217 miles) or a long-range 33kWh battery that should run for 600km (372 miles).<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading-mb col-body heading-text-style font-bold charcoal-color\" data-jump-link-target id=\"april-1\">April 1<\/h2>\n<div class=\"col-fullbleed mb-4 bg-marshmallow pb-5 dark:bg-ramones md:invisible md:mb-0 md:h-0 md:overflow-hidden md:pb-0\">\n<div class=\"py-2 text-center text-xs uppercase\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-nowrap justify-center\">\n<div class=\"flex\" id=\"_R_36gb7b4ilfeiv5tilbH1_\">\n<div class=\"flex size-full items-center justify-center bg-marshmallow text-center leading-3\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Then, on April 1, the company posted a video beginning with a fakeout scene of Lehtim\u00e4ki admitting the whole thing had been a scam. One hard cut later, and the clip pivots into a Q&amp;A, with an off-screen interviewer asking why anyone would believe Lehtim\u00e4ki on April Fools Day. He dryly responded that people don\u2019t believe him the rest of the time, but that the ambiguity provided by the occasion was a benefit. He would be able to speak more freely with less fear of censure, or so he claimed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Lehtim\u00e4ki said the series of I Donut Believe tests already published were another part of his \u201c3D chess\u201d strategy to get battery rivals to show their hand. And that the tests undertaken by VTT were on a first-generation battery while the company was already working on the <em>second<\/em>. He did concede that the claims around cycle life were based on estimates, and that if they wanted to prove it, they would have needed to start testing a decade or more ago. But he batted away questions about energy density, weight and size, saying you \u201cwouldn\u2019t ask a woman her age, and you never ask a battery its weight.\u201d He added those questions would be answered in future, in more episodes of the I Donut Believe \u201ccomplete multimedia experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative col-body mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Image from Donut Lab's April 1, 2026 video, with a notebook showing details of a purported Gen 3 cell.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"862\" height=\"365\" class=\"fig-image-round\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/4u2qDjAULKJ8QeJP.qMjUw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTQwNg--\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2026-04\/ea257190-2de1-11f1-9e17-aba8d496ab78\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-[0.875rem]\/[1.25rem] figure-caption mt-1 line-clamp-2 mt-2.5 md:mt-2 pr-2.5\">\n<div><span>Donut Lab (YouTube)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Consequently, the weekly video series will continue until the full details of the first generation battery have been revealed. Lehtim\u00e4ki then teased that this cell would be shipping, and the videos will shift focus to the second-generation cell with far better specs. But producing the I Donut Believe series \u2014 which, it\u2019s worth mentioning is a marketing function of the company trying to sell us a new product \u2014 was costly, and had run over budget, which has led the company to open its own merch store, including <ins>$70 t-shirts<\/ins> and <ins>$141 hoodies.<\/ins><\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">If you\u2019re already facing credible accusations of perpetuating a scam, and your big reveal is to double down on misdirection, it\u2019s not a good look. Lehtim\u00e4ki ended the video by talking about how much better Donut Labs\u2019 second-generation battery was, with a staged outtake showing a notepad listing the specs for a third-generation battery with 1,000 Wh\/kg energy density, 100C charge speed and durability for a million cycles \u2014 due to be announced at a future CES.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading-mb col-body heading-text-style font-bold charcoal-color\" data-jump-link-target id=\"analysis\">Analysis<\/h2>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">The release of these tests has seen interested parts of the internet engage in a <ins>near-Zapruder<\/ins> level of interrogation. People have pored over every facet of the reports and videos trying to work out what exactly is inside Donut Lab\u2019s battery. A number of prominent YouTubers have produced deep dives on the matter, each one claiming the cell is real, or not. There are countless Reddit threads where people are picking apart the voltage graphs and claims in the reports. And it seems every week there is a new revelation about what Donut\u2019s technology is and where it came from. Plenty of people online are chasing down threads tied to energy technology companies like Holyvolt and CT-Coating, or examining the charge graphs against a <ins>nickel manganese cobalt cell<\/ins>. I\u2019ll spare you the details (for now). Finnish newspaper <em><ins>Kauppalehti<\/ins><\/em> decried the results of the fifth test, saying the cell didn\u2019t lose its vacuum. It quoted Finnish battery expert Juho Heiska, who said the company has just used a traditional cell that is sufficiently hardy to withstand this abuse in the short term.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative col-body mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Image of a Verge TS Pro bike attached to a fast charger as part of Donut Lab's I Donut Believe series.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"792\" height=\"327\" class=\"fig-image-round\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/g4gF77csUui07JuWPewabg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTM5Ng--\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2026-04\/561324b0-2de2-11f1-8fef-49ddd364f99e\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-[0.875rem]\/[1.25rem] figure-caption mt-1 line-clamp-2 mt-2.5 md:mt-2 pr-2.5\">\n<div><span>Donut Labs (YouTube)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Even to a non-expert, there\u2019s clearly a gap between what Donut promised and what its tests are showing. For instance, the company said it would be able to fast charge a Verge TS to full in less than 10 minutes. But, in Test Four, it took 12 minutes to get from 9 percent to 80 percent \u2014 not a bad charging time, but certainly not as swift as the company pledged. That said, if we take the company\u2019s claims at face value, then being able to fast charge a battery at that sort of speed with just air cooling is noteworthy. At least, it will be if you can do that regularly, and one or two trips to the charger don\u2019t leave you with what Reddit likes to call a <ins>Spicy Pillow<\/ins> afterward.<\/p>\n<div class=\"col-fullbleed mb-4 bg-marshmallow pb-5 dark:bg-ramones md:invisible md:mb-0 md:h-0 md:overflow-hidden md:pb-0\">\n<div class=\"py-2 text-center text-xs uppercase\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-nowrap justify-center\">\n<div class=\"flex\" id=\"_R_3ggb7b4ilfeiv5tilbH1_\">\n<div class=\"flex size-full items-center justify-center bg-marshmallow text-center leading-3\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Unfortunately, it\u2019s been difficult to find battery researchers willing to go on the record about Donut Labs. I sought out experts in academia who were not tied to industry backing, and so wouldn\u2019t be accused of having a vested interest in the matter. But all of them refused to go on the record. More than one I contacted said they were well aware of the saga, and had plenty of feelings about the matter. But they were unwilling to expose themselves to the potentially intensive social media scrutiny that comes from weighing in.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading-mb col-body heading-text-style font-bold charcoal-color\" data-jump-link-target id=\"im-donut-skeptical\">I\u2019m Donut skeptical<\/h2>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Personally, I\u2019ve been suspicious of how Donut Labs has gone about demonstrating its technology. After all, if you were actually confident about your product and its technology, you would surely be able to share basic information about it. Table stakes stuff, like the weight and size of the battery cell you handed over for testing. As <em><ins>ElectronicDesign<\/ins><\/em> notes, data like that would help us all see if its energy density claims hold water. Instead, the company has engaged in an ornate kabuki which only serves to further undermine its case. You can go a long way on the back of very little trust, but the grander the promises get and the less eager you are to share evidence, the faster that trust evaporates.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">And, you know how someone spends a lot of time talking around something, so as to not be caught in a deliberate lie? Donut Labs\u2019 videos can feel a lot like that, since there are so many things it\u2019s intentionally not making clear. Rather than taking the chance to offer even a small amount of substantive evidence to support its initial claims, it has instead moved the goalposts. So, rather than talking about the efficacy of its first-generation product, it\u2019s dangling the second and third in front of us to hopefully distract us.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Look, I want to be even-handed, and give the company the fairest shake that I can, and obviously if the cell can deliver on its promises, I\u2019ll be overjoyed. But we\u2019ve all seen scams before, and until Donut Lab starts offering up a lot more data, it hasn\u2019t earned anything close to the benefit of the doubt.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid grid-cols-article-mobile md:max-w-[750px] md:grid-cols-article\">\n<div class=\"commerce col-body\" data-pw=\"disclosure\">\n<div class=\"mb-7 flex items-center rounded-lg p-3 p-5 w-fit flex-col md:flex-row\">\n<p class=\"text-[12px] text-battleship dark:text-gandalf md:text-[13px]\">If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"hidden flex-none md:block ml-8\">\n<div class=\"flex size-full flex-col flex-nowrap\">\n<div class=\"flex-auto\">\n<div class=\"sticky flex flex-none\">\n<div class=\"flex\" id=\"_R_sj7b4ilfeiv5tilbH1_\">\n<div class=\"flex size-full items-center justify-center bg-marshmallow text-center leading-3\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mx-auto md:px-10 md:max-w-[1220px]\">\n<div class=\"grid grid-cols-article-mobile md:max-w-[750px] md:grid-cols-article\">\n<div class=\"no-scrollbar col-body mx-4 mb-8 mt-2.5 overflow-x-scroll whitespace-nowrap md:mx-0 md:max-w-[750px] md:overflow-x-visible\">\n<div class=\"mx-auto max-w-screen-sm\">\n<ul class=\"inline-flex text-xs md:text-sm\">\n<li class=\"mr-6\">About our ads<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"grid grid-cols-article-mobile md:max-w-[750px] md:grid-cols-article\" data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">In January, a Finnish-Estonian startup proclaimed it had developed a truly solid state battery, a holy grail for the technology industry. Donut Labs\u2019 cell wasn\u2019t just solid state, however. It claimed it was made from cheap and easily available materials, would charge to full in a few minutes and last for hundreds of years. If real, such a device would change the face of the world, which is why plenty of people don\u2019t think it is. And, as the company makes more effort to demonstrate it is telling the truth, the more holes people are finding to poke their fingers into. So, what the hell is going on with Donut Labs\u2019 battery? After many weeks of research, I\u2019m throwing my hands in the air, tired of the endless dog and pony show the company is putting on.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading-mb col-body heading-text-style font-bold charcoal-color\" data-jump-link-target id=\"solid-state-batteries\">Solid state batteries<\/h2>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Conventional batteries have improved a lot in the last few decades but remain imperfect in many ways. Cells found in electronics and EVs commonly use liquid or gel polymer as an electrolyte. These electrolytes are the cause of thermal runaway, where the heat of a battery increases exponentially, and can become a primary cause of battery failure and fire. Plus, they\u2019re pretty fussy, requiring a consistent temperature for peak performance and to be treated pretty delicately. It\u2019s why the industry has raced to develop a solid state battery that eliminates the liquid or gel polymer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Because of their higher energy density, solid state batteries should be lighter and smaller per watt than conventional batteries. These benefits would be enjoyed widely but are vital for an EV where weight and size dictate so much of how it operates. Solid state batteries are at far less risk of thermal runaway, and should work in a much wider temperature window. Now, we are already seeing plenty of semi-solid batteries coming into the market, with fully-solid cells expected in the near future. Chinese battery giant CATL told <em><ins>BatteriesNews<\/ins><\/em> at the end of 2025 that its first small-scale production of solid state batteries is anticipated to begin in 2027. However, those first production runs are likely to be limited rather than global rollouts.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading-mb col-body heading-text-style font-bold charcoal-color\" data-jump-link-target id=\"donut-lab\">Donut Lab<\/h2>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Enter Donut Lab. The startup is a subsidiary of Finnish motorcycle maker Verge Motorcycles, famous for its <em><ins>Tron<\/ins><\/em><ins>-style hubless (in-wheel) rear-wheel motor<\/ins>. Verge says it has built the \u201cworld\u2019s most powerful electric motor family,\u201d and that it made \u201call the components needed to build an electric vehicle.\u201d Verge\u2019s motors have since been incorporated into <ins>Longbow Motors\u2019<\/ins> recently announced Speedster EV.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">At CES 2026, Donut Lab <ins>announced<\/ins> it had built the world\u2019s \u201cfirst full all-solid-state battery.\u201d It said this wasn\u2019t just a prototype, but was \u201cready to power up production vehicles now.\u201d In a glossy promotional video, the company said it had solved the issues the whole industry had been working to solve for decades. There was nothing but upside, with none of the trade-offs its competitors had been forced to make while developing their own solid state batteries. And, it was ready to be incorporated into EVs starting today. Verge Motorcycles announced it would add the battery into its TS Pro, with shipments expected to begin Q1 2026.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading-mb col-body heading-text-style font-bold charcoal-color\" data-jump-link-target id=\"donut-labs-battery\">Donut Labs\u2019 battery<\/h2>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">The company\u2019s <ins>extensive list of claims<\/ins> begins by saying the cell has an energy density of 400Wh per kilogram, roughly twice the <ins>energy<\/ins> density of the best lithium ion battery on the market. Right now, you should expect to get around 1,000 charge and discharge cycles out of any half-decent battery. Donut Labs is promising its cell will last for a whopping <em>100,000<\/em> cycles, even if you\u2019re fast-charging the cell. The company promises users will be able to reach an 80 percent charge from zero in around five minutes, and get to full in under six. Donut said the cell offers a \u201cclay-like\u201d freedom of design, adapting to the specific needs of a specific product, rather than the other way around.<\/p>\n<div class=\"col-fullbleed mb-4 bg-marshmallow pb-5 dark:bg-ramones md:invisible md:mb-0 md:h-0 md:overflow-hidden md:pb-0\">\n<div class=\"py-2 text-center text-xs uppercase\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-nowrap justify-center\">\n<div class=\"flex\" id=\"_R_2cgb7b4ilfeiv5tilbH1_\">\n<div class=\"flex size-full items-center justify-center bg-marshmallow text-center leading-3\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Naturally, pumping all of that power into such a small cell will mean it\u2019ll need a lot of babying, right? Not according to Donut Lab, which says its battery will operate in temperatures as low as -30 degrees Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit) or as hot as 100 degrees Celsius (212 Fahrenheit). And, to top it off, it\u2019s made from common, easily-available and cheap materials which are \u201cgeopolitically safe,\u201d rather than from rare-earth minerals sometimes held by rival nations. All of that means the cell will be cheaper to produce than the equivalent lithium ion cell and, best of all, Donut said the battery is ready for scaled production.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">A battery that promised <em>some<\/em> of these features would be world-changing; one offering all of them would be world-shattering. It would upend supply chains, shift the global balance of power, potentially eliminate reliance on so-called rare earth minerals and supercharge EV adoption. But Donut Lab offered no proof for its claims, no hint as to what its process was based upon, and no sign it had the manufacturing capacity to deliver on its promises. Naturally, a lot of people just didn\u2019t believe what they were seeing and hearing, and called BS.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading-mb col-body heading-text-style font-bold charcoal-color\" data-jump-link-target id=\"people-are-suspicious\">People are suspicious<\/h2>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Yang Hongqin, CEO of Chinese battery maker Svolt, was quoted by <em><ins>CarNewsChina<\/ins><\/em> as saying \u201cany person with even a basic understanding of the technology would think it\u2019s a scam.\u201d Finnish newspaper <em><ins>Iltalehti<\/ins><\/em> reported that CATL\u2019s venture capital head Ulderico Ulissi described the matter as \u201cclearly fake.\u201d That comment prompted Donut CEO Marko Lehtim\u00e4ki to respond on LinkedIn, saying that Ulissi would \u201cregret the arrogance.\u201d Tom B\u00f6tticher, CEO of battery startup Litona, posted on <ins>LinkedIn<\/ins> his belief Donut\u2019s technology is actually tied to a company Donut invested in, Nordic Nano. B\u00f6tticher found a pitch deck, which is no longer available (but is here at the <ins>Internet Archive<\/ins>) which described Nordic\u2019s energy storage technology as a supercapacitor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Some have pointed out that Lehtim\u00e4ki has a track record of making strong claims about his products. On May 15, 2025, he announced an AI startup, ASILAB, and said in a similarly glossy launch video that his team had created a \u201csynthetic counterpart\u201d to the human brain. Its first product, ASINOID, Lehtim\u00e4ki said, is a \u201cdynamic self-developing organism designed to grow in capability and in consciousness.\u201d The company said it would open up access to ASINOID, but I\u2019ve been unable to find any evidence that any such access has been granted. ASILAB has not responded to our request for comment.<\/p>\n<div class=\"col-fullbleed mb-4 bg-marshmallow pb-5 dark:bg-ramones md:invisible md:mb-0 md:h-0 md:overflow-hidden md:pb-0\">\n<div class=\"py-2 text-center text-xs uppercase\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-nowrap justify-center\">\n<div class=\"flex\" id=\"_R_2jgb7b4ilfeiv5tilbH1_\">\n<div class=\"flex size-full items-center justify-center bg-marshmallow text-center leading-3\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Similarly salty write-ups can be found in <em><ins>ElectronicDesign<\/ins><\/em>, <em><ins>MIT Tech Review<\/ins><\/em>, <em><ins>Interesting Engineering<\/ins><\/em>, <em><ins>InsideEVs<\/ins><\/em> and just about every Reddit, YCombinator and Hacker News thread discussing the technology.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading-mb col-body heading-text-style font-bold charcoal-color\" data-jump-link-target id=\"i-donut-believecom\">I Donut Believe.com<\/h2>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">In response to the minor social media backlash, Donut Labs went on the offensive. It launched the website <ins>IDonutBelieve.com<\/ins> promising a weekly drop of so-called evidence to support its claims. In a polished video introduction, Lehtim\u00e4ki said the criticism comes from parties with vested interests, such as competitors. He addressed the above attack lines directly, saying people have been assembling theories from scraps of online data to create an untrue picture. He also denied claims the battery was a supercapacitor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">In the same video, Lehtim\u00e4ki said the media has amplified \u201cso-called experts\u201d from the battery industry, taking their opinions at \u201cface value.\u201d Naturally, rival researchers who would stand to gain by taking down a potential challenger have a natural desire to rubbish Donut\u2019s claims. But because many of them are credentialled experts in the field, their authority was elevated above his own.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Crucially, Lehtim\u00e4ki said Donut didn\u2019t publish validation tests at the time of announcement as it would have been similarly dismissed by those same biased voices. By holding the proof back, he said it forced Donut\u2019s competitors to essentially show their hand, making it easier to refute them. To do so, Donut engaged VTT Finland, a <ins>government-owned<\/ins> research organization which offers <ins>testing services<\/ins> to third <ins>parties.<\/ins> VTT has conducted specific tests on cells supplied by Donut, the results of which the company has released piecemeal over several weeks.<\/p>\n<div class=\"col-fullbleed mb-4 bg-marshmallow pb-5 dark:bg-ramones md:invisible md:mb-0 md:h-0 md:overflow-hidden md:pb-0\">\n<div class=\"py-2 text-center text-xs uppercase\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-nowrap justify-center\">\n<div class=\"flex\" id=\"_R_2qgb7b4ilfeiv5tilbH1_\">\n<div class=\"flex size-full items-center justify-center bg-marshmallow text-center leading-3\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">It\u2019s important to note that <ins>VTT\u2019s reports<\/ins> don&#8217;t make any statements which could be seen to support Donut\u2019s claims. For instance, it says it was asked to \u201cconduct independent charging performance tests on the energy storage devices supplied by the customer, which the customer identified as solid-state battery cells.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading-mb col-body heading-text-style font-bold charcoal-color\" data-jump-link-target id=\"the-tests\">The tests<\/h2>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Donut Lab published a test for five weeks, each one each one designed to show off one key feature of the battery. <ins>Test One<\/ins> saw VTT fast charge a cell beyond the limit of a regular battery, after which it still had close to 100% of its charge available for use. In <ins>Test Two<\/ins>, VTT charged the cell to full, and then discharged it in high-temperature environments. Once that was done, the cell was charged again at a normal temperature, but researchers noted that the pouch lost vacuum. Donut Lab later said the vacuum loss was caused by the packaging materials not being able to withstand the temperature, rather than an issue with the battery itself.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">A VTT spokesperson told me \u201cduring the final stage of manufacturing, all gases are removed from the cell, and the cell is sealed tightly under vacuum conditions. The cell feels firm. If the cell loses its vacuum, it usually becomes slightly soft and swollen.\u201d Essentially, if a battery loses its vacuum, it means it\u2019s started swelling, which is visible in the photos from the report. Swelling is fatal to a traditional lithium ion battery and, potentially, the device it\u2019s connected to.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\"><ins>Test Three<\/ins> purported to disprove the idea that Donut was secretly selling a supercapacitor, so VTT charged the cell to full and let it sit idle for 10 days. At the end of that time, the charge level of the battery appeared to hold steady, with a small drop commonly seen in all batteries. Which appeared to confirm the cell was a battery, rather than a capacitor which may struggle to hold its charge over longer periods of time. Test Four was conducted by Donut Lab itself, taking a prototype of its battery in a Verge motorcycle to a fast charger. The cell had a rated capacity of 18kWh and it was charged from 9 percent to 80 percent \u2014 around 14.5kWh \u2014 in 12 minutes.<\/p>\n<div class=\"col-fullbleed mb-4 bg-marshmallow pb-5 dark:bg-ramones md:invisible md:mb-0 md:h-0 md:overflow-hidden md:pb-0\">\n<div class=\"py-2 text-center text-xs uppercase\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-nowrap justify-center\">\n<div class=\"flex\" id=\"_R_30gb7b4ilfeiv5tilbH1_\">\n<div class=\"flex size-full items-center justify-center bg-marshmallow text-center leading-3\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\"><ins>Test Five<\/ins> focused on the cell from Test Two which lost its vacuum, to prove it was not broken. VTT\u2019s report says it cycled the broken cell 50 times (up to 90 percent of its full charge) to see what happened. VTT\u2019s researchers said it was possible to cycle the cell, but that its capacity began to degrade after the first few, and by the end of the process, it had fallen to nearly half of its original figure. The cell itself had swelled, however, with VTT saying \u201cthe cell thickness had increased by 17 percent, and the cell pouch was firm.\u201d Donut Lab boasted that while a lithium ion battery in this condition would likely explode, its own cell still worked.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">When contacted, VTT said it did complete an assignment for Donut Lab but declined to make any specific comment on confidential client assignments.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">On March 31, Verge Motorcycles posted a <ins>video<\/ins> claiming the TS Pro Gen 2, the first to carry Donut\u2019s solid state battery, was ready to ship. Given March 31 is the last day of Q1, it\u2019s the latest possible day the company could announce this and say it has honored its promise. The accompanying write-up said the bike will ship with either a standard-range 20kWh battery with a range of 350km (217 miles) or a long-range 33kWh battery that should run for 600km (372 miles).<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading-mb col-body heading-text-style font-bold charcoal-color\" data-jump-link-target id=\"april-1\">April 1<\/h2>\n<div class=\"col-fullbleed mb-4 bg-marshmallow pb-5 dark:bg-ramones md:invisible md:mb-0 md:h-0 md:overflow-hidden md:pb-0\">\n<div class=\"py-2 text-center text-xs uppercase\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-nowrap justify-center\">\n<div class=\"flex\" id=\"_R_36gb7b4ilfeiv5tilbH1_\">\n<div class=\"flex size-full items-center justify-center bg-marshmallow text-center leading-3\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Then, on April 1, the company posted a video beginning with a fakeout scene of Lehtim\u00e4ki admitting the whole thing had been a scam. One hard cut later, and the clip pivots into a Q&amp;A, with an off-screen interviewer asking why anyone would believe Lehtim\u00e4ki on April Fools Day. He dryly responded that people don\u2019t believe him the rest of the time, but that the ambiguity provided by the occasion was a benefit. He would be able to speak more freely with less fear of censure, or so he claimed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Lehtim\u00e4ki said the series of I Donut Believe tests already published were another part of his \u201c3D chess\u201d strategy to get battery rivals to show their hand. And that the tests undertaken by VTT were on a first-generation battery while the company was already working on the <em>second<\/em>. He did concede that the claims around cycle life were based on estimates, and that if they wanted to prove it, they would have needed to start testing a decade or more ago. But he batted away questions about energy density, weight and size, saying you \u201cwouldn\u2019t ask a woman her age, and you never ask a battery its weight.\u201d He added those questions would be answered in future, in more episodes of the I Donut Believe \u201ccomplete multimedia experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative col-body mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Image from Donut Lab's April 1, 2026 video, with a notebook showing details of a purported Gen 3 cell.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"862\" height=\"365\" class=\"fig-image-round\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/4u2qDjAULKJ8QeJP.qMjUw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTQwNg--\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2026-04\/ea257190-2de1-11f1-9e17-aba8d496ab78\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-[0.875rem]\/[1.25rem] figure-caption mt-1 line-clamp-2 mt-2.5 md:mt-2 pr-2.5\">\n<div><span>Donut Lab (YouTube)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Consequently, the weekly video series will continue until the full details of the first generation battery have been revealed. Lehtim\u00e4ki then teased that this cell would be shipping, and the videos will shift focus to the second-generation cell with far better specs. But producing the I Donut Believe series \u2014 which, it\u2019s worth mentioning is a marketing function of the company trying to sell us a new product \u2014 was costly, and had run over budget, which has led the company to open its own merch store, including <ins>$70 t-shirts<\/ins> and <ins>$141 hoodies.<\/ins><\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">If you\u2019re already facing credible accusations of perpetuating a scam, and your big reveal is to double down on misdirection, it\u2019s not a good look. Lehtim\u00e4ki ended the video by talking about how much better Donut Labs\u2019 second-generation battery was, with a staged outtake showing a notepad listing the specs for a third-generation battery with 1,000 Wh\/kg energy density, 100C charge speed and durability for a million cycles \u2014 due to be announced at a future CES.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading-mb col-body heading-text-style font-bold charcoal-color\" data-jump-link-target id=\"analysis\">Analysis<\/h2>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">The release of these tests has seen interested parts of the internet engage in a <ins>near-Zapruder<\/ins> level of interrogation. People have pored over every facet of the reports and videos trying to work out what exactly is inside Donut Lab\u2019s battery. A number of prominent YouTubers have produced deep dives on the matter, each one claiming the cell is real, or not. There are countless Reddit threads where people are picking apart the voltage graphs and claims in the reports. And it seems every week there is a new revelation about what Donut\u2019s technology is and where it came from. Plenty of people online are chasing down threads tied to energy technology companies like Holyvolt and CT-Coating, or examining the charge graphs against a <ins>nickel manganese cobalt cell<\/ins>. I\u2019ll spare you the details (for now). Finnish newspaper <em><ins>Kauppalehti<\/ins><\/em> decried the results of the fifth test, saying the cell didn\u2019t lose its vacuum. It quoted Finnish battery expert Juho Heiska, who said the company has just used a traditional cell that is sufficiently hardy to withstand this abuse in the short term.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative col-body mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Image of a Verge TS Pro bike attached to a fast charger as part of Donut Lab's I Donut Believe series.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"792\" height=\"327\" class=\"fig-image-round\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/g4gF77csUui07JuWPewabg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTM5Ng--\/https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/os\/creatr-uploaded-images\/2026-04\/561324b0-2de2-11f1-8fef-49ddd364f99e\"><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-[0.875rem]\/[1.25rem] figure-caption mt-1 line-clamp-2 mt-2.5 md:mt-2 pr-2.5\">\n<div><span>Donut Labs (YouTube)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Even to a non-expert, there\u2019s clearly a gap between what Donut promised and what its tests are showing. For instance, the company said it would be able to fast charge a Verge TS to full in less than 10 minutes. But, in Test Four, it took 12 minutes to get from 9 percent to 80 percent \u2014 not a bad charging time, but certainly not as swift as the company pledged. That said, if we take the company\u2019s claims at face value, then being able to fast charge a battery at that sort of speed with just air cooling is noteworthy. At least, it will be if you can do that regularly, and one or two trips to the charger don\u2019t leave you with what Reddit likes to call a <ins>Spicy Pillow<\/ins> afterward.<\/p>\n<div class=\"col-fullbleed mb-4 bg-marshmallow pb-5 dark:bg-ramones md:invisible md:mb-0 md:h-0 md:overflow-hidden md:pb-0\">\n<div class=\"py-2 text-center text-xs uppercase\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-nowrap justify-center\">\n<div class=\"flex\" id=\"_R_3ggb7b4ilfeiv5tilbH1_\">\n<div class=\"flex size-full items-center justify-center bg-marshmallow text-center leading-3\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Unfortunately, it\u2019s been difficult to find battery researchers willing to go on the record about Donut Labs. I sought out experts in academia who were not tied to industry backing, and so wouldn\u2019t be accused of having a vested interest in the matter. But all of them refused to go on the record. More than one I contacted said they were well aware of the saga, and had plenty of feelings about the matter. But they were unwilling to expose themselves to the potentially intensive social media scrutiny that comes from weighing in.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"heading-mb col-body heading-text-style font-bold charcoal-color\" data-jump-link-target id=\"im-donut-skeptical\">I\u2019m Donut skeptical<\/h2>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Personally, I\u2019ve been suspicious of how Donut Labs has gone about demonstrating its technology. After all, if you were actually confident about your product and its technology, you would surely be able to share basic information about it. Table stakes stuff, like the weight and size of the battery cell you handed over for testing. As <em><ins>ElectronicDesign<\/ins><\/em> notes, data like that would help us all see if its energy density claims hold water. Instead, the company has engaged in an ornate kabuki which only serves to further undermine its case. You can go a long way on the back of very little trust, but the grander the promises get and the less eager you are to share evidence, the faster that trust evaporates.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">And, you know how someone spends a lot of time talking around something, so as to not be caught in a deliberate lie? Donut Labs\u2019 videos can feel a lot like that, since there are so many things it\u2019s intentionally not making clear. Rather than taking the chance to offer even a small amount of substantive evidence to support its initial claims, it has instead moved the goalposts. So, rather than talking about the efficacy of its first-generation product, it\u2019s dangling the second and third in front of us to hopefully distract us.<\/p>\n<p class=\"col-body mb-4 leading-7 text-[18px] md:leading-8 break-words min-w-0 charcoal-color\">Look, I want to be even-handed, and give the company the fairest shake that I can, and obviously if the cell can deliver on its promises, I\u2019ll be overjoyed. But we\u2019ve all seen scams before, and until Donut Lab starts offering up a lot more data, it hasn\u2019t earned anything close to the benefit of the doubt.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.engadget.com\/transportation\/evs\/whats-going-on-with-donut-lab-173007121.html&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/9B3019201789C057683B6586E947D0928B057FD1A1CB12FA8CDC5B7BBEDF496C\/subgraphmysterio\/resizefit_w1200;quality_90;format_webp\/https:%2F%2Fs.yimg.com%2Fos%2Fcreatr-uploaded-images%2F2026-04%2F9940dde0-2de2-11f1-abda-fa4d5c905416&#8243;] Transportation EVs What\u2019s going on with Donut Lab? It has made some bold claims, but hasn&#8217;t been so forthcoming with proof. Daniel Cooper Senior Editor Wed, April 1, 2026 at 5:30 PM UTC Add Engadget on Google Donut Lab In January, a Finnish-Estonian startup proclaimed it had developed a truly solid state [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,63],"class_list":["post-1860010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-engadget-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1860010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1860010"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1860010\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1860010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1860010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1860010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}