Yep, it’s fast: Donut Lab’s solid-state battery gets its first test result

Transportation News Electric Cars Yep, it’s fast: Donut Lab’s solid-state battery gets its first test result The Finnish startup’s pack can charge from 0 to 80 percent in under 5 minutes, according to its first independent test. The Finnish startup’s pack can charge from 0 to 80 percent in under 5 minutes, according to its first independent test. by Andrew J. Hawkins Feb 23, 2026, 3:54 PM UTC Image: Tim Stevens / The Verge Part Of All the news about EV charging in the US see all updates Andrew J. Hawkins is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State. Since announcing earlier this year that it was on the cusp of a major battery breakthrough , Finnish startup Donut Lab has faced a lot of questions, and plenty of skepticism, about its production-ready, solid-state battery. Could the company really make a fast-charging battery at scale while avoiding some of the theoretical production headaches that have stymied past efforts? Today, Donut Lab sought to dispel some of the doubts with the release of the first independent test of its battery, evaluating its charging speed and the “thermal behavior” of its pack. The test , which was conducted by state-owned VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, concludes that the battery is able to be charged significantly faster than a traditional lithium-ion battery. In several tests, the battery was able to charge from 0–80 percent in around 9.5 minutes, while retaining 100 percent of its capacity. In other tests, 0–80 percent was achieved in about 4.5 minutes while retaining 99 percent capacity. Donut Lab’s solid-state battery in VTT’s test. Image: Donut Labs Solid-state batteries, which are often referred to as the “holy grail” of batteries, have eluded researchers for decades. Most EV companies use “wet” lithium-ion batteries, which use liquid electrolytes to move energy around. But these batteries can be ...