Zoidz
Well-Known Member
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- #1
They claim they will soon be shipping this tech in an electric motorcycle. Clearly some questions and doubts exists as to whether it's real and ready for release. It appears SS Batteries still have a way to go before being viable tech in EVs.
Electrek
Donut Lab has released the first independent test results for its controversial solid-state battery, and the data confirms at least one headline claim: the cell charged from 0 to 80% in just 4.5 minutes at an extreme 11C rate.
It doesn’t blow up, but it gets pretty damn hot.
The results come from Finland’s state-owned VTT Technical Research Centre, one of Europe’s leading research organizations. But the report only covers charging performance — leaving Donut Lab’s most extraordinary claims completely unverified.
...
But here’s where it gets interesting. During the 11C test with only a single heat sink, the configuration closest to minimal thermal management, the cell’s surface temperature hit the 90°C safety cutoff, forcing VTT to interrupt the test. After a four-minute cooling period, the cell was strapped more tightly to the heat sink to improve thermal contact, and the test was restarted.
...
What the report does NOT cover
This is where the “catch” comes in. The VTT report addresses one claim and one claim only: fast charging. The specifications that drew the harshest industry criticism remain completely untested by any independent party:
400 Wh/kg energy density — This is the claim that Svolt’s chairman called physically impossible. For context, Factorial Energy’s solid-state cells validated by Stellantis achieved 375 Wh/kg, and FAW’s semi-solid-state cells claim over 500 Wh/kg — but neither of those also claims 11C charging and 100,000 cycles simultaneously. The combination of all three is what experts say defies known battery chemistry.
100,000 cycle life — Most solid-state developers target hundreds to low-thousands of cycles at this stage. Factorial’s validated cells showed over 600 cycles. Donut Lab’s claim of 100,000 is orders of magnitude beyond anything demonstrated in the industry. It’s arguably the biggest claim.
Extreme temperature performance — Donut Lab claimed 99% capacity retention at -30°C and stable performance above 100°C. Not tested.
Cost parity with lithium-ion — Not something a lab test can verify, but a claim that strains credibility given that no solid-state battery has reached cost competitiveness at scale.
Donut Lab CEO Marko Lehtimäki fired back, telling Electrek that he was betting his personal reputation on the technology shipping in customer Verge Motorcycles within weeks.
Electrek
Donut Lab has released the first independent test results for its controversial solid-state battery, and the data confirms at least one headline claim: the cell charged from 0 to 80% in just 4.5 minutes at an extreme 11C rate.
It doesn’t blow up, but it gets pretty damn hot.
The results come from Finland’s state-owned VTT Technical Research Centre, one of Europe’s leading research organizations. But the report only covers charging performance — leaving Donut Lab’s most extraordinary claims completely unverified.
...
But here’s where it gets interesting. During the 11C test with only a single heat sink, the configuration closest to minimal thermal management, the cell’s surface temperature hit the 90°C safety cutoff, forcing VTT to interrupt the test. After a four-minute cooling period, the cell was strapped more tightly to the heat sink to improve thermal contact, and the test was restarted.
...
What the report does NOT cover
This is where the “catch” comes in. The VTT report addresses one claim and one claim only: fast charging. The specifications that drew the harshest industry criticism remain completely untested by any independent party:
400 Wh/kg energy density — This is the claim that Svolt’s chairman called physically impossible. For context, Factorial Energy’s solid-state cells validated by Stellantis achieved 375 Wh/kg, and FAW’s semi-solid-state cells claim over 500 Wh/kg — but neither of those also claims 11C charging and 100,000 cycles simultaneously. The combination of all three is what experts say defies known battery chemistry.
100,000 cycle life — Most solid-state developers target hundreds to low-thousands of cycles at this stage. Factorial’s validated cells showed over 600 cycles. Donut Lab’s claim of 100,000 is orders of magnitude beyond anything demonstrated in the industry. It’s arguably the biggest claim.
Extreme temperature performance — Donut Lab claimed 99% capacity retention at -30°C and stable performance above 100°C. Not tested.
Cost parity with lithium-ion — Not something a lab test can verify, but a claim that strains credibility given that no solid-state battery has reached cost competitiveness at scale.
Donut Lab CEO Marko Lehtimäki fired back, telling Electrek that he was betting his personal reputation on the technology shipping in customer Verge Motorcycles within weeks.
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