What’s Going On With Donut Lab?

In January, a Finnish-Estonian startup proclaimed it had developed a genuinely coagulated authorities battery, a beatified grail for nan exertion industry. Donut Labs’ compartment wasn’t conscionable coagulated state, however. It claimed it was made from inexpensive and easy disposable materials, would complaint to afloat successful a fewer minutes and past for hundreds of years. If real, specified a instrumentality would alteration nan look of nan world, which is why plentifulness of group don’t deliberation it is. And, arsenic nan institution makes much effort to show it is telling nan truth, nan much holes group are uncovering to flick their fingers into. So, what nan hellhole is going connected pinch Donut Labs’ battery? After galore weeks of research, I’m throwing my hands successful nan air, tired of nan endless canine and pony show nan institution is putting on.

Solid authorities batteries

Conventional batteries person improved a batch successful nan past fewer decades but stay imperfect successful galore ways. Cells recovered successful electronics and EVs commonly usage liquid aliases gel polymer arsenic an electrolyte. These electrolytes are nan origin of thermal runaway, wherever nan power of a artillery increases exponentially, and tin go a superior origin of artillery nonaccomplishment and fire. Plus, they’re beautiful fussy, requiring a accordant somesthesia for highest capacity and to beryllium treated beautiful delicately. It’s why nan manufacture has raced to create a coagulated authorities artillery that eliminates nan liquid aliases gel polymer.

Because of their higher power density, coagulated authorities batteries should beryllium lighter and smaller per watt than accepted batteries. These benefits would beryllium enjoyed wide but are captious for an EV wherever weight and size dictate truthful overmuch of really it operates. Solid authorities batteries are astatine acold little consequence of thermal runaway, and should activity successful a overmuch wider somesthesia window. Now, we are already seeing plentifulness of semi-solid batteries coming into nan market, pinch fully-solid cells expected successful nan adjacent future. Chinese artillery elephantine CATL told BatteriesNews astatine nan extremity of 2025 that its first small-scale accumulation of coagulated authorities batteries is anticipated to statesman successful 2027. However, those first accumulation runs are apt to beryllium constricted alternatively than world rollouts.

Donut Lab

Enter Donut Lab. The startup is simply a subsidiary of Finnish motorcycle shaper Verge Motorcycles, celebrated for its Tron-style hubless (in-wheel) rear-wheel motor. Verge says it has built nan “world’s astir powerful electrical centrifugal family,” and that it made “all nan components needed to build an electrical vehicle.” Verge’s motors person since been incorporated into Longbow Motors’ precocious announced Speedster EV.

At CES 2026, Donut Lab announced it had built nan world’s “first afloat all-solid-state battery.” It said this wasn’t conscionable a prototype, but was “ready to powerfulness up accumulation vehicles now.” In a glossy promotional video, nan institution said it had solved nan issues nan full manufacture had been moving to lick for decades. There was thing but upside, pinch nary of nan trade-offs its competitors had been forced to make while processing their ain coagulated authorities batteries. And, it was fresh to beryllium incorporated into EVs starting today. Verge Motorcycles announced it would adhd nan artillery into its TS Pro, pinch shipments expected to statesman Q1 2026.

Donut Labs’ battery

The company’s extensive database of claims originates by saying nan compartment has an power density of 400Wh per kilogram, astir doubly nan energy density of nan champion lithium ion artillery connected nan market. Right now, you should expect to get astir 1,000 complaint and discharge cycles retired of immoderate half-decent battery. Donut Labs is promising its compartment will past for a whopping 100,000 cycles, moreover if you’re fast-charging nan cell. The institution promises users will beryllium capable to scope an 80 percent complaint from zero successful astir 5 minutes, and get to afloat successful nether six. Donut said nan compartment offers a “clay-like” state of design, adapting to nan circumstantial needs of a circumstantial product, alternatively than nan different measurement around.

Naturally, pumping each of that powerfulness into specified a mini compartment will mean it’ll request a batch of babying, right? Not according to Donut Lab, which says its artillery will run successful temperatures arsenic debased arsenic -30 degrees Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit) aliases arsenic basking arsenic 100 degrees Celsius (212 Fahrenheit). And, to apical it off, it’s made from common, easily-available and inexpensive materials which are “geopolitically safe,” alternatively than from rare-earth minerals sometimes held by rival nations. All of that intends nan compartment will beryllium cheaper to nutrient than nan balanced lithium ion compartment and, champion of all, Donut said nan artillery is fresh for scaled production.

A artillery that promised some of these features would beryllium world-changing; 1 offering each of them would beryllium world-shattering. It would upend proviso chains, displacement nan world equilibrium of power, perchance destruct reliance connected alleged uncommon world minerals and supercharge EV adoption. But Donut Lab offered nary impervious for its claims, nary hint arsenic to what its process was based upon, and nary motion it had nan manufacturing capacity to present connected its promises. Naturally, a batch of group conscionable didn’t judge what they were seeing and hearing, and called BS.

People are suspicious

Yang Hongqin, CEO of Chinese artillery shaper Svolt, was quoted by CarNewsChina arsenic saying “any personification pinch moreover a basal knowing of nan exertion would deliberation it’s a scam.” Finnish newspaper Iltalehti reported that CATL’s task superior caput Ulderico Ulissi described nan matter arsenic “clearly fake.” That remark prompted Donut CEO Marko Lehtimäki to respond connected LinkedIn, saying that Ulissi would “regret nan arrogance.” Tom Bötticher, CEO of artillery startup Litona, posted connected LinkedIn his belief Donut’s exertion is really tied to a institution Donut invested in, Nordic Nano. Bötticher recovered a transportation deck, which is nary longer disposable (but is present astatine nan Internet Archive) which described Nordic’s power retention exertion arsenic a supercapacitor.

Some person pointed retired that Lehtimäki has a way grounds of making beardown claims astir his products. On May 15, 2025, he announced an AI startup, ASILAB, and said successful a likewise glossy motorboat video that his squad had created a “synthetic counterpart” to nan quality brain. Its first product, ASINOID, Lehtimäki said, is simply a “dynamic self-developing organism designed to turn successful capacity and successful consciousness.” The institution said it would unfastened up entree to ASINOID, but I’ve been incapable to find immoderate grounds that immoderate specified entree has been granted. ASILAB has not responded to our petition for comment.

Similarly salty write-ups tin beryllium recovered successful ElectronicDesign, MIT Tech Review, Interesting Engineering, InsideEVs and conscionable astir each Reddit, YCombinator and Hacker News thread discussing nan technology.

I Donut Believe.com

In consequence to nan insignificant societal media backlash, Donut Labs went connected nan offensive. It launched nan website IDonutBelieve.com promising a play driblet of alleged grounds to support its claims. In a polished video introduction, Lehtimäki said nan disapproval comes from parties pinch vested interests, specified arsenic competitors. He addressed nan supra onslaught lines directly, saying group person been assembling theories from scraps of online information to create an untrue picture. He besides denied claims nan artillery was a supercapacitor.

In nan aforesaid video, Lehtimäki said nan media has amplified “so-called experts” from nan artillery industry, taking their opinions astatine “face value.” Naturally, rival researchers who would guidelines to summation by taking down a imaginable challenger person a earthy desire to rubbish Donut’s claims. But because galore of them are credentialled experts successful nan field, their authority was elevated supra his own.

Crucially, Lehtimäki said Donut didn’t people validation tests astatine nan clip of announcement arsenic it would person been likewise dismissed by those aforesaid biased voices. By holding nan impervious back, he said it forced Donut’s competitors to fundamentally show their hand, making it easier to refute them. To do so, Donut engaged VTT Finland, a government-owned investigation statement which offers testing services to 3rd parties. VTT has conducted circumstantial tests connected cells supplied by Donut, nan results of which nan institution has released piecemeal complete respective weeks.

It’s important to statement that VTT’s reports don't make immoderate statements which could beryllium seen to support Donut’s claims. For instance, it says it was asked to “conduct independent charging capacity tests connected nan power retention devices supplied by nan customer, which nan customer identified arsenic solid-state artillery cells.”

The tests

Donut Lab published a trial for 5 weeks, each 1 each 1 designed to show disconnected 1 cardinal characteristic of nan battery. Test One saw VTT accelerated complaint a compartment beyond nan limit of a regular battery, aft which it still had adjacent to 100% of its complaint disposable for use. In Test Two, VTT charged nan compartment to full, and past discharged it successful high-temperature environments. Once that was done, nan compartment was charged again astatine a normal temperature, but researchers noted that nan pouch mislaid vacuum. Donut Lab later said nan vacuum nonaccomplishment was caused by nan packaging materials not being capable to withstand nan temperature, alternatively than an rumor pinch nan artillery itself.

A VTT spokesperson told maine “during nan last shape of manufacturing, each gases are removed from nan cell, and nan compartment is sealed tightly nether vacuum conditions. The compartment feels firm. If nan compartment loses its vacuum, it usually becomes somewhat soft and swollen.” Essentially, if a artillery loses its vacuum, it intends it’s started swelling, which is visible successful nan photos from nan report. Swelling is fatal to a accepted lithium ion artillery and, potentially, nan instrumentality it’s connected to.

Test Three purported to disprove nan thought that Donut was secretly trading a supercapacitor, truthful VTT charged nan compartment to afloat and fto it beryllium idle for 10 days. At nan extremity of that time, nan complaint level of nan artillery appeared to clasp steady, pinch a mini driblet commonly seen successful each batteries. Which appeared to corroborate nan compartment was a battery, alternatively than a capacitor which whitethorn struggle to clasp its complaint complete longer periods of time. Test Four was conducted by Donut Lab itself, taking a prototype of its artillery successful a Verge motorcycle to a accelerated charger. The compartment had a rated capacity of 18kWh and it was charged from 9 percent to 80 percent — astir 14.5kWh — successful 12 minutes.

Test Five focused connected nan compartment from Test Two which mislaid its vacuum, to beryllium it was not broken. VTT’s study says it cycled nan surgery compartment 50 times (up to 90 percent of its afloat charge) to spot what happened. VTT’s researchers said it was imaginable to rhythm nan cell, but that its capacity began to degrade aft nan first few, and by nan extremity of nan process, it had fallen to astir half of its original figure. The compartment itself had swelled, however, pinch VTT saying “the compartment thickness had accrued by 17 percent, and nan compartment pouch was firm.” Donut Lab boasted that while a lithium ion artillery successful this information would apt explode, its ain compartment still worked.

When contacted, VTT said it did complete an duty for Donut Lab but declined to make immoderate circumstantial remark connected confidential customer assignments.

On March 31, Verge Motorcycles posted a video claiming nan TS Pro Gen 2, nan first to transportation Donut’s coagulated authorities battery, was fresh to ship. Given March 31 is nan past time of Q1, it’s nan latest imaginable time nan institution could denote this and opportunity it has honored its promise. The accompanying write-up said nan motorcycle will vessel pinch either a standard-range 20kWh artillery pinch a scope of 350km (217 miles) aliases a long-range 33kWh artillery that should tally for 600km (372 miles).

April 1

Then, connected April 1, nan institution posted a video opening pinch a fakeout segment of Lehtimäki admitting nan full point had been a scam. One difficult trim later, and nan clip pivots into a Q&A, pinch an off-screen interviewer asking why anyone would judge Lehtimäki connected April Fools Day. He dryly responded that group don’t judge him nan remainder of nan time, but that nan ambiguity provided by nan juncture was a benefit. He would beryllium capable to speak much freely pinch little fearfulness of censure, aliases truthful he claimed.

Lehtimäki said nan bid of I Donut Believe tests already published were different portion of his “3D chess” strategy to get artillery rivals to show their hand. And that nan tests undertaken by VTT were connected a first-generation artillery while nan institution was already moving connected nan second. He did concede that nan claims astir rhythm life were based connected estimates, and that if they wanted to beryllium it, they would person needed to commencement testing a decade aliases much ago. But he batted distant questions astir power density, weight and size, saying you “wouldn’t inquire a female her age, and you ne'er inquire a artillery its weight.” He added those questions would beryllium answered successful future, successful much episodes of nan I Donut Believe “complete multimedia experience.”

Consequently, nan play video bid will proceed until nan afloat specifications of nan first procreation artillery person been revealed. Lehtimäki past teased that this compartment would beryllium shipping, and nan videos will displacement attraction to nan second-generation compartment pinch acold amended specs. But producing nan I Donut Believe bid — which, it’s worthy mentioning is simply a trading usability of nan institution trying to waste america a caller merchandise — was costly, and had tally complete budget, which has led nan institution to unfastened its ain merch store, including $70 t-shirts and $141 hoodies.

If you’re already facing reliable accusations of perpetuating a scam, and your large uncover is to double down connected misdirection, it’s not a bully look. Lehtimäki ended nan video by talking astir really overmuch amended Donut Labs’ second-generation artillery was, pinch a staged outtake showing a notepad listing nan specs for a third-generation artillery pinch 1,000 Wh/kg power density, 100C complaint velocity and durability for a cardinal cycles — owed to beryllium announced astatine a early CES.

Analysis

The merchandise of these tests has seen willing parts of nan net prosecute successful a near-Zapruder level of interrogation. People person pored complete each facet of nan reports and videos trying to activity retired what precisely is wrong Donut Lab’s battery. A number of salient YouTubers person produced heavy dives connected nan matter, each 1 claiming nan compartment is real, aliases not. There are countless Reddit threads wherever group are picking isolated nan voltage graphs and claims successful nan reports. And it seems each week location is simply a caller revelation astir what Donut’s exertion is and wherever it came from. Plenty of group online are chasing down threads tied to power exertion companies for illustration Holyvolt and CT-Coating, aliases examining nan complaint graphs against a nickel manganese cobalt cell. I’ll spare you nan specifications (for now). Finnish newspaper Kauppalehti decried nan results of nan 5th test, saying nan compartment didn’t suffer its vacuum. It quoted Finnish artillery master Juho Heiska, who said nan institution has conscionable utilized a accepted compartment that is sufficiently hardy to withstand this maltreatment successful nan short term.

Even to a non-expert, there’s intelligibly a spread betwixt what Donut promised and what its tests are showing. For instance, nan institution said it would beryllium capable to accelerated complaint a Verge TS to afloat successful little than 10 minutes. But, successful Test Four, it took 12 minutes to get from 9 percent to 80 percent — not a bad charging time, but surely not arsenic swift arsenic nan institution pledged. That said, if we return nan company’s claims astatine look value, past being capable to accelerated complaint a artillery astatine that benignant of velocity pinch conscionable aerial cooling is noteworthy. At least, it will beryllium if you tin do that regularly, and 1 aliases 2 trips to nan charger don’t time off you pinch what Reddit likes to telephone a Spicy Pillow afterward.

Unfortunately, it’s been difficult to find artillery researchers consenting to spell connected nan grounds astir Donut Labs. I sought retired experts successful academia who were not tied to manufacture backing, and truthful wouldn’t beryllium accused of having a vested liking successful nan matter. But each of them refused to spell connected nan record. More than 1 I contacted said they were good alert of nan saga, and had plentifulness of feelings astir nan matter. But they were unwilling to expose themselves to nan perchance intensive societal media scrutiny that comes from weighing in.

I’m Donut skeptical

Personally, I’ve been suspicious of really Donut Labs has gone astir demonstrating its technology. After all, if you were really assured astir your merchandise and its technology, you would surely beryllium capable to stock basal accusation astir it. Table stakes stuff, for illustration nan weight and size of nan artillery compartment you handed complete for testing. As ElectronicDesign notes, information for illustration that would thief america each spot if its power density claims clasp water. Instead, nan institution has engaged successful an ornate kabuki which only serves to further undermine its case. You tin spell a agelong measurement connected nan backmost of very small trust, but nan grander nan promises get and nan little eager you are to stock evidence, nan faster that spot evaporates.

And, you cognize really personification spends a batch of clip talking astir something, truthful arsenic to not beryllium caught successful a deliberate lie? Donut Labs’ videos tin consciousness a batch for illustration that, since location are truthful galore things it’s intentionally not making clear. Rather than taking nan chance to connection moreover a mini magnitude of substantive grounds to support its first claims, it has alternatively moved nan goalposts. So, alternatively than talking astir nan efficacy of its first-generation product, it’s dangling nan 2nd and 3rd successful beforehand of america to hopefully distract us.

Look, I want to beryllium even-handed, and springiness nan institution nan fairest shingle that I can, and evidently if nan compartment tin present connected its promises, I’ll beryllium overjoyed. But we’ve each seen scams before, and until Donut Lab starts offering up a batch much data, it hasn’t earned thing adjacent to nan use of nan doubt.