---
title: "Solid-State Batteries: How Donut Lab Called the Industry’s Bluff and Won"
description: Finnish startup Donut Lab claims production-ready solid-state EV batteries, unveiled at CES. Is it real or a scam? Here is what we know so far.
author: Darie Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2026-01-06T12:51:43.000Z
updated: 2026-03-31T11:25:14.656Z
canonical: https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/solid-state-batteries-how-donut-lab-called-the-industry-s-bluff-and-won
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/Donut-Lab-CES-Solid-State-Battery.jpg
categories: Science & Tech
content_type: News
region: Global
publication: Sovereign Magazine
---

Toyota first promised solid-state batteries by 2020. When that deadline passed, it became 2023. Then 2026. Now, the target hovers somewhere around 2027 or 2028, assuming nothing else goes wrong. QuantumScape aimed for commercial production by 2024 but only began shipping sample batteries in 2025, with field testing delayed until 2026 and mass production still years away. Solid Power, Nissan, and a host of other major players have followed the same script, pushing timelines further into an ever-receding future.

For over a decade, the solid-state battery has been the electric vehicle industry’s most reliable broken promise. These cells were supposed to be the holy grail of energy storage: safer than lithium-ion, faster charging, longer lasting, lighter, and more energy dense. Every major automaker and battery manufacturer has spent years claiming they were “just a few years away” from commercial deployment. Yet [Toyota’s timeline has slipped by nearly a decade](https://electrek.co/2025/10/30/toyotas-solid-state-ev-battery-dreams-might-actually-come-true/) since its initial 2020 promise, and the pattern repeats across the sector.

Then, at CES this week, a Finnish company called [Donut Lab](https://www.donutlab.com/) walked onto the show floor with something the giants haven’t managed to deliver: a production-ready all-solid-state battery already powering vehicles hitting the road this quarter.

[https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y-aPS2AwMbc?feature=oembed](https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y-aPS2AwMbc?feature=oembed)

## The End of ‘Just a Few Years Away’

Donut Lab’s announcement isn’t a prototype or a pilot programme scheduled for some distant date. [Verge Motorcycles is manufacturing the TS Pro and Ultra models](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/the-battery-industry-called-donut-lab-a-fraud-then-announced-its-own-solid-state-plans) with Donut Lab’s solid-state batteries right now, with first deliveries scheduled for Q1 2026. That’s not a timeline. That’s today.

“Solid-state batteries have always been described as ‘just a few years away,'” said Marko Lehtimäki, CEO of Donut Lab. “Our answer is different. They’re [ready today. Not later.](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/donut-lab-s-solid-state-battery-passes-its-first-independent-test)“

The specifications read like the promises the industry has been making for years, except this time they’re attached to [production vehicles you can order](https://www.cnet.com/home/electric-vehicles/donut-lab-production-solid-state-battery-ces-2026/) for $29,900. The Donut Battery delivers 400 Wh/kg energy density, charges to full capacity in five minutes without stopping at 80%, and supports up to 100,000 charge cycles with minimal capacity fade. For context, conventional lithium-ion systems typically manage a few thousand cycles before significant degradation.

Extreme temperature performance backs up the durability claims. Donut Lab reports over 99% capacity retention at minus 30°C and stable operation above 100°C, without ignition or thermal runaway. The battery eliminates flammable liquid electrolytes entirely, removing the dendrite formation and chain reactions that cause battery fires—[safety advantages that alternative battery chemistries are also pursuing](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/frost-proof-fire-safe-and-cheaper-how-sodium-ion-batteries-could-change-energy-storage).

## Why the Giants Couldn’t Deliver

If a relatively unknown Finnish startup can manufacture production-ready solid-state batteries at scale, why have companies with billions in R&D budgets and decades of battery experience failed to do the same?

The technical challenges are real. [Solid-state battery manufacturing](https://www.nature.com/articles/s44359-025-00120-7) requires managing dendrite formation at the electrode interface, achieving consistent solid electrolyte contact, and scaling production without compromising performance. Toyota’s repeated delays reflect genuine difficulty in moving from laboratory demonstrations to mass production. QuantumScape has made progress with its QSE-5 battery technology but remains stuck in the testing phase, years behind its original commercial timeline.

Yet the pattern of missed deadlines suggests something beyond technical difficulty. Major automakers have institutional structures built around lithium-ion supply chains, manufacturing processes, and business relationships. Pivoting to fundamentally different chemistry is not just a technical challenge. It is also an organisational and financial disruption that conflicts with existing production commitments and supplier contracts. Donut Lab, by contrast, had no legacy infrastructure to protect. The company built its manufacturing processes around solid-state chemistry from the beginning, avoiding the sunk costs and institutional inertia that complicate transitions for established players.

## Production Reality, Not Laboratory Dreams

Donut Lab claims its solid-state batteries cost less to manufacture than conventional lithium-ion cells, a critical factor for commercial viability. The batteries use only abundant, geopolitically safe materials, avoiding [rare elements that create supply chain vulnerabilities](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/from-clay-pits-to-ev-batteries-cornwall-proves-uk-can-make-battery-grade-lithium-now-the-hard) and price volatility. Design flexibility allows custom shapes, voltages, and geometries, enabling structural integration into vehicle chassis or entirely new form factors.

Verge’s motorcycles demonstrate the practical advantages. [The TS Pro and Ultra](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/tesla-electric-scooter-e-scooter-price-range-features-of-tesla-s-urban-mobility-solution) can charge in under 10 minutes, adding up to 60 kilometres of range per minute of charging. The long-range version delivers up to 600 kilometres on a single charge, performance that pushes beyond what current [lithium-ion technology](https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/energy-storage-boom-strengthens-demand-outlook-beaten-down-lithium-2026-01-04/) can achieve at comparable weight and cost.

Donut Lab’s presence at CES extended beyond motorcycles. WATTEV debuted an ultra-lightweight modular EV platform integrating Donut Motors, batteries, inverters, and software. Cova Power unveiled smart trailers that reduce diesel consumption by up to 54%. ESOX Group is deploying Donut Lab batteries in defence-grade platforms, including tactical vehicles and drones where safety and reliability determine mission outcomes.

## Accountability Arrives

If a company with a fraction of Toyota’s resources can deliver production solid-state batteries years ahead of the industry’s revised timelines, the excuses for delay become harder to sustain. [Toyota’s credibility has eroded](https://evxl.co/2025/11/09/toyota-promises-40-year-solid-state-ev-batteries-by-2028/) through a decade of missed deadlines, each postponement justified by technical challenges that Donut Lab apparently solved without comparable resources.

The question facing the major players is no longer whether solid-state batteries can be manufactured at scale. Donut Lab just proved they can. The question is why established manufacturers with vastly greater resources couldn’t get there first, and what that reveals about their capacity to deliver on technical promises.

Donut Lab’s trajectory mirrors its previous product launch. The company first gained attention with the Donut Motor, an in-wheel electric motor that eliminates traditional drivetrains. Introduced at CES 2025, the motor has since moved into real-world use. “When we unveiled the Donut Motor, many doubted it until they saw it working on the road,” Lehtimäki said. “With the all-solid-state Donut Battery, we waited until the technology was fully validated and already operating in vehicles.”

The [broader battery manufacturing sector now faces pressure to respond](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/battery-wars-battle-for-dominance-in-sustainable-energy-storage-heats-up). If solid-state technology is genuinely ready for commercial deployment, the timeline for widespread adoption compresses dramatically. Applications beyond automotive—drones with structural battery integration, [grid storage without fire risk](https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/the-future-of-battery-technology-solutions-for-true-grid-scale-energy-storage), defence systems with extreme temperature reliability—become viable overnight.

Donut Lab’s announcement doesn’t just introduce a new product. It forces the industry to reckon with why a Finnish startup could deliver on promises that giants couldn’t keep, and what that means for the future of electrification now that the excuses have run out.

## Further Context

**Q: What are solid-state batteries and how do they differ from lithium-ion batteries?**
Solid-state batteries replace the liquid or gel electrolyte found in conventional lithium-ion batteries with a solid electrolyte, such as ceramics or solid polymers. This fundamental change in structure enables several key differences:

**Q: Why are dendrites a problem in solid-state batteries?**
Dendrites are needle-like structures that form on the lithium metal anode during charging cycles. In solid-state batteries, they pose a significant challenge for the following reasons:

**Q: What are the key advantages of solid-state batteries over lithium-ion?**
Solid-state batteries offer several advantages over conventional lithium-ion batteries, making them a promising technology for the future of energy storage:

**Q: Why has scaling solid-state batteries for mass production been difficult?**
Scaling solid-state batteries for mass production has presented several challenges that have hindered widespread adoption:

**Q: What are the potential applications of solid-state batteries beyond EVs?**
Solid-state batteries offer unique advantages that make them suitable for a wide range of applications beyond electric vehicles: