11C Charging vs. The Laws of Physics: Inside the Donut Battery Results

In this deep dive, Kate peels back the layers of the Donut Solid State Battery hype to see how the marketing claims from CES 2026 hold up against the data from VTT Finland. We examine the 11C charge rate and investigate the "Zero Compression" claims. We also explare the controversy over claims Donut Lab has truly discovered a new category of energy storage or have simply optimized existing technology to its absolute limit. The trilemma of energy density, cycle life, and charging speed remains the ultimate benchmark for any new battery. While the VTT reports confirm some claims, critical questions remain regarding the 400 Wh/kg density and the alleged 100,000-cycle lifespan. Without a certified weight for the test cells or long-term degradation data, it is difficult to determine if this is a forever battery, a highly specialized hybrid, or just hype. As we wait for the first teardowns of the Verge TS Pro motorcycles and further transparency on the cell's mass and construction we ask, do we have enough evidence yet? ---- *⏱️ Episode Timeline* 00:00 - Introduction 01:35 - What we'll cover today 02:24 - Who are Donut Battery 02:29 - The Donut Motor and Verge Motorcycles 03:47 - Donut Motors Use in other vehicles 04:46 - How did Donut Motor become a battery company? 05:11 - A quick editorial note 05:50 - Donut's Claims 06:45 - Competitor's Energy Density 09:37 - C rate - A very quick introduction 10:36 - Current Battery Pack C-Rates 12:17 - Donut's battery lifespan claim 15:14 - What are the tests Donut's released? 16:32 - The first test - fast charging 19:44 - The second test - High Temperature Performance 21:58 - Test Three - Self Discharge 24:17 - Test four - Rapid Charging a Pack 25:15 - What don't the tests show? 28:21 - The ongoing controversy 30:34 - Conclusions 31:24 - Thanks and End Credits ---- 🔗 Links: https://idonutbelieve.com/ - Donut's battery test results https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666386425000529 – Tear down on BYD Blade and 4680 cells https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2018.07.003 – Self discharge rate on NMC cells https://en.eeworld.com.cn/news/qcdz/eic710279.html – Toyota’s SSB Progress https://www.electrive.com/2024/12/06/quantumscape-completes-production-process-for-solid-state-cells/ - Quantumscape Update https://www.autoevolution.com/news/musk-admits-that-pursuing-the-dry-battery-electrode-process-in-4680-cells-was-a-mistake-260582.html- Musk’s comments regarding 4680 dry electrode debacle https://electrek.co/2026/01/28/tesla-puts-4680-battery-cells-back-in-model-y/ - Tesla notes that the 4680 is far less significant technologically than initially signalled. https://iestbattery.com/news/release-the-next-generation-of-blade-battery/ BYD Gen 2.0 Blade battery information https://zenodo.org/records/18358955 - A hypothetical mechanism for the donut battery https://www.utvdriver.com/utv-news/verge-motorcycles-electric-bikes-adopt-solid-state-batteries/ - Verge adopts solid state battery https://www.motorcycle.com/bikes/manufacturer/2024-verge-ts-pro-electric-motorcycle-review-quick-ride-44603878 – 2024 Review Verge TS with donut motor ---- *👥 Today’s Sponsors* 🌱 Electric Vehicle Association - https://www.myeva.org ⚡ EnergySage - https://www.kqzyfj.com/click-101290941-16952262 — ✊ Get Involved 🗳️ https://indivisible.org/town-hall-resources ❤️ Support the Show 📰 https://www.transportevolved.com 🔥 https://www.patreon.com/transportevolved ☕ https://ko-fi.com/transportevolved 📺 https://www.youtube.com/transportevolved 👕 https://www.redbubble.com/people/TransportEVd/ 🛍️ https://amzn.to/40xOyjm ₿ 1QRZRGCCXUKPDZ2DZ9KX9JYJXMZDYHYGFZ0MN4WH *💬 Join the Conversation* 🐘 https://mastodon.transportevolved.com/@show 💬 https://discord.gg/9WAjfQn 🌀 https://bsky.app/profile/transportevolved.bsky.social 🔁 Subscribe to our 2nd channel - https://www.youtube.com/transportevolvedtake2 --- *🎙️ Credits:* Host: Kate Walton-Elliott Script: Kate Walton-Elliott, Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield Camera, Edit, Color: Kate Walton-Elliott & Vi Horton Art & Animation: Erin Carlie, Kate Walton-Elliott Producer: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield Music: via Artlist.io © Transport Evolved LLC, 2026 💬 What do you think? Is Donut delivering a taste of the future, or is it just a tasty looking scam? Let us know on Discord, Patreon or in the comments below. Start the conversation in the down below, or come on over to our Discord (it's free!).