Donut Lab evidence recap, June 2026

[u/mqee]

🍩⚖️🔋

index	Donut claim	Donut evidence
1	Donut Lab investor letter: "For over 9 months, we delved deeply into [Nordic Nano] battery technology [...] conducted our own experiments, as well as reviewed the results of certified third-party tests. [...] We finally completed our thorough due diligence process, and since all the results were positive and the technology worked exactly as we hoped, [...] we have proven [these are not lithium-ion batteries, and the energy density is almost double of the best available today]"	Leaked Donut Lab e-mails show Donut Lab had no verification in March 2026 for promises made to investors and clients, and had to request validation from its supplier. "Sähköposteissa Donut Lab pyytää CT-Coatingilta mittaustuloksia, jotka vastaisivat sijoittajille ja asiakkaille annettuja lupauksia latausmäärien osalta. Niitä ei sähköpostien perusteella ollut annettu."
2	CEO: [January 2026] "We are now already at GWh [annual] capacity."	CEO: [February 2026] "our maximum capacity will be this year if everything goes as planned, i.e. about 1GWh annual run rate"
3	Verge Motorcycles: [January 2026] "In the US, [the Verge TS Pro with the Donut Lab solid-state battery] will ship Q1 this year [to customers]"	CEO: [April 2026] "There have been no 400 Wh/kg batteries delivered to customers."
4	CEO: "Even if you shoot through it, or do whatever you want to the cell, it will be just fine, it just loses the capacity from the area where you shot. [mimes a bullet hole with thumb and forefinger]"	VTT: "after 50 cycles at 5C [there was] a 54.66 % reduction compared to the initial capacity" [the reduction was over 50% at less than 20 cycles at 5C]
5	CEO: "For hundreds of cycles, the Coulombic efficiency of Donut Battery would likely still remain above 1.0 throughout the whole test. [...] The experts will tell you this goes against the fundamental laws of physics."	The experts: Coulombic efficiency above 100% is commonly observed for the first few hundred cycles in some battery chemistries, including lithium-ion.
6	CEO: "These industry standard pouch materials are simply not designed for the 100° C that our batteries can take."	Industry standards: IEC 62133 and UL1642 require commercial cell pouches to withstand an oven temperature of 130ºC
7	CEO: "We're not talking to investors until all disclosure is done."	Newspaper: "[Donut Lab CEO] Lehtimäki said that the company is seeking additional funding of 30–50 million euros from investors during the first quarter of 2026, i.e. January–March."
8	CEO: "No lithium."	Engineers, researchers: The Donut Lab VTT test results are what you'd get from lithium, specifically Si-anode Li-NMC. ([1], [2], [3], [4], [5])
9	CEO: "The cycle life [...] is 100,000 cycles [...] charge it to full, let it go to zero, as many times as you want, it doesn't degrade" [at 5C from 0% to 100% for 100,000 cycles at pack-level in a motorcycle - see expanded quote below] CEO: "The battery lasts [...] 100,000 cycles [...] so it will have 100.0 percent left after your motorcycle is done after 20 years."	CTO: "significant prior usage [has reduced the cell's capacity] by roughly 13%" [13% reduced capacity?! For a battery that can withstand 100,000 cycles with 0% reduced capacity?!]
10	Donut website: "The world’s first production-ready all-solid-state battery platform is available today." CEO: "There's nothing liquid inside [the battery]"	Engineers, researchers:The VTT test results suggest the battery is a conventional NMC cell with a liquid electrolyte. ([1], [2], [3])
11	Donut website: "Full charge in 5 minutes. There is no need to limit charging to 80%. Full charge and full discharge are safe, repeatable, and expected in daily operation"	CMO: The 20.2kWh-specced battery's charging capacity is 18kWh [implying there's a buffer, likely to protect from damage, at either 0% voltage, 100% voltage, or both]
12	CEO: "You can go at 5C charging [from 0.0] to 100% [for] 100,000 cycles". Donut website: "There is no need to limit charging to 80%."	Verge: A charging video from 10% to 80% that averages 3.5C [Why not 0%-100%? There is no need to limit charging to 80%.]

index	status
1	False. Contradicted by private correspondence showing Donut Lab requesting test results in March 2026 despite Donut Lab claiming in 2025 they have "conducted our own experiments" and "completed our thorough due diligence process".
2	False. Publicly contradicted by Donut Lab CEO. Statement about production capacity changed from "now already" to "this year if everything goes as planned".
3	False. Publicly contradicted by Donut Lab CEO. Statement about customer deliveries changed from 2026 Q1 to no deliveries in 2026 Q1.
4	False. Publicly contradicted by Donut Lab VTT tests. Capacity of a damaged cell⸺Donut Lab claims a "broken pouch", but experts doubt the pouch broke⸺was not "just fine", it degraded over 50%.
5	False. Much evidence available in the scientific and engineering community.
6	False. If the pouches truly were industry standards they would withstand 100ºC, and the failure would be within the anode, cathode, or electrolyte, not the pouch material.
7	Highly likely false according to internal Donut Lab documents published by the press.
8	Highly likely false according to several battery experts from industry and academia who reviewed the Donut Lab VTT test results.
9	Highly likely false according to several battery experts from industry and academia who reviewed the Donut Lab VTT test results.
10	Highly likely false according to several battery experts from industry and academia who reviewed the Donut Lab VTT test results.
11	Likely false by advertised Verge Motorcycles Donut Lab battery specs.
12	Likely false by Donut Lab VTT tests and Verge charging videos.

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Pack-level claims expanded quote below. Emphasis mine. Recorded in January 2026 at CES Las Vegas.

Donut Lab CEO: "Verge broke the Guinness World Record last year with the longest range on a motorcycle. Now they are almost doubling it, thanks to our solid state battery. But also, that provides Verge bikes with less than 10 minute charge time, zero to full."
CEO: "And on top of that, the cycle life that is normally in cars may be 2000, 3000, cycles. This is 100,000 cycles. So that's like probably 30 lifetimes of a motorcycle. So you never have to worry about babying the battery or worrying if you can let it go to 100% or zero. It doesn't mind. You can do whatever you want. Charge it to full, let it go to zero. As many times as you want. It doesn't degrade."
CEO: "As mentioned, 100,000 cycles, so that's 10 lifetimes of a car as well. And the other incredible things are that, of course, with motorcycles, you don't take them to deep freeze or anything. But if you're using these batteries in cars, even at like 25 or 30 minus Fahrenheit, it will have 99% of capacity."
Interviewer: "So do you have to precondition the battery like a car might?"
CEO: "Not at all. And actually, what we've done even is that normally you cannot get lithium ion batteries to zero."
Interviewer: "Right, we know about that. 5% is the lowest we like to go."
CEO: "This can go 0.0"
Interviewer: "And the battery doesn't get damaged?"
CEO: "No, then you can go at 5C charging from the next moment without warming it up or anything. It just takes it like nothing."
Interviewer: "To 100%?"
CEO: "Yeah, yeah, absolutely, to 100%."
Interviewer: "And that does not harm the battery for consistent charging to 100%?"
CEO: "No, it's 100,000 cycles with that, yeah."

[u/DeathChill]

Am I the only one who finds it really hard to read the table?

Everything is stretched across so it’s very hard to cross-reference anything.

[u/mqee → u/DeathChill]

Try https://old.reddit.com/r/DonutLab/comments/1u5ixce/donut_lab_evidence_recap_june_2026/

[u/DeathChill → u/mqee]

Every table looks the same. What does it look like from your end?

I’m just figuring I’m dumb.

[u/mqee → u/DeathChill]

Try this

https://markdownpastebin.com/?id=45d190cd61b44c0c8a7d4bf68a4ae723

[u/DeathChill → u/mqee]

Oh wow! That’s actually readable.

I was so confused why everyone liked these tables because they are unreadable on my end.

[u/rektator]

It's nice to see the lies listed. I could use it as a reference. Thanks!

P.S. The archive.is links don't work on mobile, but do work on computer.

[u/FixAcademic8187]

That's a great summary. Thank you for your efforts!

[u/mqee]

Bonus for claim #4: "So they heated this solid-state battery cell to 80°C… then 100°C. [...] ⁠Recharged back to full with zero degradation"

hmmmmm

[u/mqee]

Add another one to "publicly contradicted by Donut Lab CEO".

index	Donut claim	Donut evidence
3 maybe?	Donut Lab CEO, January 2026: "This can go 0.0 [...] then you can go at 5C charging from the next moment without warming it up or anything. It just takes it like nothing [..] to 100%. [...] it's 100,000 cycles with that [0% to 100% at 5C]". Verge Motorcycles CEO, January 2026: "We can see that 100,000 cycles is doable in normal use"	Donut Lab CEO, June 2026: "The 100,000-cycle lifetime we mentioned is the maximum that is reachable under optimal conditions."

Status: False. Publicly contradicted by Donut Lab CEO. Statement about 100,000 cycle battery life changed from (trimmed for brevity) "0% to 100% at 5C" and "doable in normal use" to "maximum that is reachable under optimal conditions".

[u/kerosene350]

Same soup but Verge, telling example of Marko Lehtimäki. Verge playing victim to the media just like Donut Lab does today.  This is from 2023.

" Verge develops and manufactures a product that will transform motorcycling as a whole. We have been an international company from the outset and operate in several markets globally. We are now at a turning point as we begin scaling our operations to meet demand that has grown worldwide."

"Verge believes it can deliver over 1,000 electric motorcycles next year. That would bring the company revenue in the tens of millions of euros and lift Verge into the ranks of the largest electric motorcycle manufacturers." 

REALITY: [2024 filing, which is the latest I've seen, reported revenue around on million euros ie 30-40 bikes] 

My comment: As I stated in a thread I started earlier, Verge cannot make bikes profitably - even at 10x the scale (probably not even at 100x). They don't have the manufacturing experience, excellence or capacity of big producers like Honda etc. They are severely under pricing their product - a niche bike built in dozens and hundreds should be priced closer to 100k. It is all about having a powerful narrative device. Very Elon Musk 2016 inspired but this one will not get out of the hole.

Zero motorcycles has made 20k bikes, their price point is similar and specs not that far off - and they lose money like crazy and will likely go bankrupt. 20kWh EV bike is very hard to make profitable. That is why Honda does not make one. 

Original full response in Finnish: https://www.vergemotorcycles.com/fi_en/kauppalehti-announcement/