At CES 2026 in January, Donut Lab announced what it called the world’s first solid-state battery ready for production vehicles, claiming the battery would power Verge Motorcycles‘ lineup with first deliveries in Q1 2026. The claims were extraordinary: an energy density of 400 Wh/kg, a full charge in five minutes, endurance through 100,000 charge cycles, and operation in temperatures from 30 to 100C, all at a price lower than current automotive lithium-ion batteries.
Verge and Donut Lab are deeply intertwined. Donut Lab was founded in August 2024 as a spin-off from Verge Motorcycles, with the same founding circle.
The announcement was met with immediate and sharp pushback from the battery industry. CATL’s head of off-China operations, Ulderico Ulissi, said the announced claims were “clearly fake.” SVOLT CEO Yang Hongxin called it a scam, saying a battery with those technical details “does not exist.” Professors and researchers from several universities cast doubt on the specifications and urged the public to wait for evidence.
At the battery’s unveiling, no independent testing was presented to support the claims, and the company presented mockups in place of actual batteries.
The Verge TS Pro equipped with the Donut Lab solid-state battery was promised to customers by March 31, 2026. Shortly after, the website’s delivery window for new orders shifted to Q4 2026. Verge CEO Tuomo Lehtimäki tried to soften the impact, telling InsideEVs: “First orders received last year for...
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