World’s First Solid State Battery : Solid Cell Hype or Hope? Donut Lab Under Review

geeky-gadgets ^ | January 8, 2026 | Julian Horsey

[marktwain]

What if the future of energy storage wasn’t just an incremental improvement but a complete reimagining? Solid-state batteries, long considered the holy grail of energy technology, could be the key to unlocking safer, faster, and more sustainable power solutions. In this guide, Ziroth explores how Donut Lab’s bold claim of creating the world’s first solid-state battery could transform industries like electric vehicles (EVs) and renewable energy. But with skepticism swirling around untested prototypes and ambitious performance metrics, the question remains: is this breakthrough the real deal or just another overhyped promise?

This investigation dives into the fascinating claims surrounding Donut Lab’s innovation, from its five-minute charging time to a staggering 100,000-cycle lifespan. You’ll explore the science behind solid-state batteries, the potential environmental benefits of ditching lithium, and the controversies that have experts questioning the technology’s readiness. Whether you’re intrigued by the promise of EVs that charge as quickly as a coffee break or curious about the challenges of scaling such a fantastic idea, this breakdown will leave you pondering the future of energy storage, and the fine line between ambition and reality.

Donut Lab’s Bold Battery Claims

TL;DR Key Takeaways :

• Donut Lab claims to have developed the world’s first solid-state battery with new features, including 400 Wh/kg energy density, 5-minute full charging, 100,000-cycle lifespan, and operational reliability in extreme temperatures.
• The battery uses non-toxic, abundant materials and a customizable design, with a stack-and-press manufacturing method aimed at simplifying production and reducing costs.
• Solid-state batteries replace liquid electrolytes with solid materials, offering enhanced safety, higher energy density, and extended lifespan, while avoiding the environmental and ethical issues associated with lithium.
• Skepticism persists due to the lack of functional prototypes, detailed technical data, and independent validation, with concerns that the technology may function more like an advanced capacitor rather than a true battery.

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TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: battery; donut; finn; solid; solidstate; solidstatebattery; technology

[marktwain]

This is an excerpt because I don't know geeky-gadgets policy and there a significant ads in the source. Easy to get to and see at their site.

[marktwain]

If true, and it has a much better chance than many claims, the whole lithium-ion battery ecosystem will go away in a few years.

[pissant]

It’ll be as big a breakthru as ‘cold fusion’. I’m sure those two Einsteins at the University of Utah are gazillionaires by now

[bigbob]

I need this for my drill.

[willk]

Thanks. Toyota keeps promising a SS battery soon too. This will be great if it comes to fruition but we better make sure the infrastructure is there too. That means “drill baby drill” because we are going to need a lot of electricity. My Tesla Cybertruck gets an average range of 405 miles (360 in winter) with local driving. On trips from Reno to Sacramento over the Sierras during the summer I can go round trip without charging (range of 369 miles) except in winter. What is neat is that on long trips it tells me where to charge and for how long. The charger knows my vehicle so all I do is plug in. Go to the bathroom. Check the latest on FR and off I go.

[Jonty30]

400watt hours is about half the performance of lithium.

[billorites]

"Skepticism persists due to the lack of functional prototypes"

Well, there's that.

[VTenigma]

So, it’s a capacitor.

[marktwain]

400watt hours is about half the performance of lithium.

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Maybe in items not used widely now.
According to this article, Lithium-ion batteries are in the 160-250 Wh/kg.

https://www.laserax.com/blog/solid-state-vs-lithium-ion-batteries

[marktwain]

It may be some sort of nanotech super capacitor...

What matters is: Does it deliver as stated?

We should know in four months. If we start hearing... delayed production for the motorcycles.. Red flags waving all over the place.

[marktwain]

It’ll be as big a breakthru as ‘cold fusion’.

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Nowhere near as big as “cold fusion”. It does not violate any physics or chemistry. It does what solid state battery developers have stated should be possible, if they can figure out how to make them.

It might be a engineering breakthrough, but not anything like cold fusion.

[Jonty30]

I had read that they got it up to about 800 wh/kg.

My mistake.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

https://freerepublic.com/focus/chat/4361387/posts?page=53#53

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8PjlwZVLVE

[Williams]

Lots of companies are working on solid state batteries for various auto mafacturers.
I think they’ll be out within 2 or 3 years.

[marktwain]

This company says they will be selling them in their motorcycles this year...

[Scram1]

Lyten Lithium-Sulfur Batteries could have some prospects ahead or fail completely. Their technology seems to be less flammable and is an alternative to what Elon is doing.

[sauropod]

.

[ETCM]

That’s what it looks like. Some folks have done a little digging (see video below) and tied the planned manufacturing plant and some of the specifications to another Finnish company that has been pitching capacitor technology, Nordic Nano.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qsi-TS8PX7U

The problem with capacitors is that they have never come close to the energy density of lithium, let alone the claimed 400W/Kg Donut Labs is claiming.

[aquila48]

As I wrote in a similar thread...

““can be fully charged in five minutes”

Let’s see....

Assuming a battery of 100KWH (Tesla size). With 240 volts, you would need 100,000/240 = 417 amps for an hour. To do it in 5 minutes you would need 12 times that, or 5000 amps!!

If you use a voltage 4 times that which is what the superchargers use, you still would need to pump through 1250 amps. (Most houses are wired for 100-150 amps)

You would need a cable the size of a fire hose, and I doubt the battery could handle being flooded with all those electrons in such a short time.

Or did I screw up somewhere?”

[ph_balanced]

I saw this yesterday.