EDITORIAL NOTE: Donut Lab has alleged that Ziroth's Dr Ryan Hughes holds a commercial partnership with battery manufacturer CATL. Transport Evolved could find no evidence of any such partnership at the time of publication. Additionally, we would like to note that the most effective way to counter these allegations would be to open its cells to independent, non-commercial testing at a well-respected independent test facility, covering:

Battery construction

We look forward to seeing the results and covering them here on Transport Evolved.

At CES this January, battery startup Donut Lab made some pretty massive claims about a new battery pack it said was the world's first commercial solid-state pack. It promised to bring that pack — with some pretty large claims on battery performance, lifespan, and charging capabilities — to the refreshed Verge TS Pro motorcycle, a bike designed and built by its sister company, Verge Motorcycles.

Almost immediately, the company faced criticism and calls to back up its claims with independent lab testing. Through its "I Donut Believe" campaign, it claimed to offer exactly that — but steered clear of the two areas its critics most wanted to hear about: energy density and cycle life.

Now, hot on the heels of legal action from a former employee of one of its partner firms, new investigative reporting from YouTuber and engineer Dr. Ryan Hughes of @ZirothTech appears to debunk Donut Lab's claims entirely. What was sold as a revolutionary solid-state pack may be nothing more than a common-or-garden lithium-ion cell.

Here's what we know, what's likely to happen next, and why Donut Lab may have a lot of explaining to do

00:00 - Introduction

Sources and Further Reading:

🎥 Ziroth — "Exposing The Solid State Donut Battery. It's Over." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5oyVNjrUPI

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Host, Script, Editor: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield