► Donut Lab reveals new tech at CES
► Solid-state tech now available to OEMs
► Heading to Verge motorcycles first
The first production-spec solid state battery has made it to production, but it’s not from a brand you’ll have heard of. At CES 2026, Donut Lab a new solid-state unit that is available to OEMs right now. And it’s doing as well as saying; the new component will power the entirety of the Verge electric motorcycle range from Q1 2026.
‘At Donut Lab, our answer on solid state batteries being ready for use in OEM production vehicles is now, today, not later,’ said company CEO Marko Lehtimäki. ‘Donut Lab has engineered a new high-performance solid-state Donut Battery that can be scaled to major production volumes and seen now in real world use in the Verge Motorcycles bikes out on the road in Q1.’
Donut says its battery – helpfully called the Donut Battery – has a density of 200Wh/kg putting it well above conventional lithium-ion batteries. This is no surprise though, as it’s very much what you’d expect from solid-state tech. Still, this is happening now – and not just on the horizon. Other advantages of solid-state tech include longer range, lighter structures and even more flexibility when it comes to designing the vehicles powered by them.
The solid-state cell comes with other benefits too, especially around charging capacity. Unlike lithium-ion batteries which struggle with faster charging and repeated charging to full capacity, solid-state batteries can be filled to the brim with minimal impact on long life. Up to 100,000 charging cycles are planned in the design life, and each charge can take just five minutes in the right conditions.
And one other benefit? No risky, flammable ingredients and no risk of thermal runway.
Donut Las isn’t that well known but it’s got a habit for firsts; its first product was an in-wheel motor shown at CES 2025 – but its solid-state battery is making more of a stir. That’s because solid-state tech has widely been tipped as the next big thing in the world of electric cars, solving both range and charging issues. Toyota, Mercedes and pretty much every car brand is working on solid-state tech alongside their lithium-ion products – but all are facing challenges. For example, Mercedes has mentioned the shifting size of batteries as a past stumbling block.
Donut Lab’s solid-state batteries should appear in Verge Motorcycles in early 2026. We’ll update this article when we know more – and when our two-wheeled sister-site MCN knows more, too.
Curtis Moldrich is CAR magazine’s Digital Editor and has worked for the brand for the past five years. He’s responsible for online strategy, including CAR’s website, social media channels such as X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, and helps on wider platform strategy as CAR magazine branches out on to Apple News+ and more.
By Curtis Moldrich
CAR's Digital Editor, F1 and sim-racing enthusiast. Partial to clever tech and sports bikes
