Donut Battery: the holy grail, the sceptics and the theatrics

I am not a car guy, I've never owned one and I still don't plan to buy one in the near future. I've always thought they were a mere compromise for speed versus the adverse effects they have on cities, landscapes, health and ecology. Yet when I got my driving licence my first "car" that I did not own, was a per-hour-rented Bolloré's Bluecar in Paris. They offered what I considered a first condition on my long list requirements to ever own a car: an electric battery.

Ten years later, despite the tremendous technical achievements and societal cachet they've garnered, electric vehicles still suffer from their comparison to thermal cars in a few, crucial, key areas which include autonomy, battery longevity and practicity.

The Promise

Donut Lab is a Finnish startup based in Helsinki that presented the Donut Battery at 2026 CES. It took the Electric Vehicle world by storm as it seemed to do the impossible:

100.000 cycles (enough to recharge it daily and still pass it to your children, think about that!)

an energy density of 400 watts per kilogram (double the industry standard of 200 watts per kilogram, which means twice as much autonomy per volume or a substantial volume reduction)

an 11C charging rate, meaning you could recharge your electric vehicle in 5 minutes!

a working temperature range from minus 30 degrees celsius up to 100 degrees celsius

a price competitive with current lithium batteries

non lithium based, sustainable and conflict-free materials

solid state

Solid state batteries have been teased as the next evolution of energy storage as they could solve most of the challenges the current technologies face: improved energy density, increased safety and thermal stability, expanded temperature and voltage ratings, faster charging and more. The industry is gearing towards a 2027-2030 production with characteristics at least half as promising as the Donut Battery which is set to be in production by March 2026!

So is it a remarquable hoax or the holy grail?

Holy Grail

A battery with such density, stability across temperatures, charging speed and eco friendliness would simply mean the gradual end of the reliance on fossil fuel for almost everything, at least for all end customer needs, from home heating to cars. It would take you the same time to recharge your electric vehicle than refilling your thermal car at the gas station for the same autonomy. It is a game changer as the practicality difference between the two energy sources would vanish. Not to mention you can recharge your car not only on an EV station, but also at home or even on some roads that offer wireless charging. An EV would be more practical than a thermal car overnight.

A geopolitical shift

The Iranian war would be pointless, Maduro's grandiose capture would retrospectively look futile if not ridiculous. The rare earth sourcing duels would seem like a battle of another time, the same way we find it hard to believe European empires conquered most of Asia for spices were extremely valuable and rare in Europe. Speaking of Europe, this discovery would put it back in the epicentre of the global energy game, not that it would play for keeps, but it would reassert its unique capacity to find sustainable solutions to conflict-ridden issues that seem too hard to fix.

Solar energy would go from a glorified gimmick to the best source of energy

I will not explore how every sector will benefit from this battery beyond electric EVs, but let's do a quick projection on its benefits on domestic and small grid solar energy generation and consumption.

The trouble with the CEO

In this day and age spotting a scam artist is in our basic reflex kit , and Marko Lehtimäki does not help his case. For a CEO of a company which, if promises are kept, will simply revolutionise the way we produce, store and use energy, he exudes a early Silicon Valley entrepreneur demeanour, visibly distanced from the seriousness of his subject matter yet focused enough on making the dream happen that it both reassures we are in a once in a lifetime transformational achievement event and that we are right to question the validity of the operation at all. I tend not to judge a CEO by the Louis Vuitton hat he wears, his recent claims on making the best AI model or the shell companies he creates to promote his new venture, but if the Donut battery claims are right then he will truly be a superstar who would have already found his detached style before his fame, an authenticity badge that would precede his typical nouveau riche need to be cool, and if his claims are a scam, then his reputation will sink to the bottom of the Theranos class of entrepreneurs with the accoutrement that fits the mission. Only time will tell if we are presented a modern day Marco Polo or another iteration of Elisabeth Holmes.

The marketing, the reality, and the perception gap

As anyone could have expected, the announcement was followed by unbridled mockeries and straight-out scam epitaphs. That's when Donut Lab announced in February that it would launch a website dedicated to debunking the naysayers and convince the sceptics with actual battery tests. The website's name itself is a well found play on non believers: https://idonutbelieve.com.

The tests were conducted by VTT which is the Finnish state led testing authority.

As of march 10th 3 VTT lead tests have been published:

Charging speed

High temperature

Discharge profile (not a super capacitor)

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References

Official Donut website: https://www.donutlab.com