Wedoany.com Report on Mar 17th, Finnish battery technology company Donut Lab recently unveiled the results of its fourth battery test in collaboration with electric motorcycle manufacturer Verge Motorcycles, demonstrating the ultra-fast charging capability of its solid-state battery pack under real-world vehicle conditions. This test evaluated the synergistic performance of multiple battery cells within a complete pack, rather than single-cell testing in a laboratory.
Engineers integrated Donut Lab's solid-state battery technology into an air-cooled battery pack designed for the Verge TS Pro electric motorcycle. This pack has a nominal capacity of 18 kWh and uses an air-cooling system instead of complex liquid cooling. The researchers stated that this is the company's first public demonstration of how its solid-state battery technology behaves within a real vehicle battery pack. Donut Lab's Chief Technology Officer, Ville Piippo, said, "This is the first test we are releasing to a wider audience, showing the performance and behavior of multiple cells in a real vehicle environment."
The company claims its battery design achieves high energy density, allowing manufacturers to configure different energy capacities while maintaining the same physical size. Piippo added, "The high energy density of our battery technology enables more flexible battery pack design, delivering outstanding performance even in more challenging applications like motorcycles, where space is limited and system simplicity is crucial." Donut Lab believes that demonstrating functionality at the battery pack level is a key step towards integrating this technology into production vehicles.
During the fast-charging test, engineers used a public high-power charger, starting the experiment when the battery pack temperature was around 20 degrees Celsius. The system maintained a peak charging power exceeding 100 kW, equivalent to a 5C charging rate. The electric motorcycle battery charged from 10% to 50% in about five minutes, with the total charging time from 10% to 70% being just over nine minutes. The system reached an 80% state of charge in approximately 12 minutes. Engineers stated that this battery pack charges about three times faster than Verge's previous system.
Tuomo Lehtimäki, CEO of Verge Motorcycles, said, "Our goal is to provide the best user experience for Verge users." He stated that Donut Lab's battery technology supports this goal by enabling faster charging. Lehtimäki noted, "The advantages of Donut Lab's battery technology, such as ultra-fast charging, seamlessly complement our objectives." The battery pack used in the test represents Verge's standard configuration, though the company also offers higher-capacity options. Engineers anticipate that future versions will further optimize charging performance.
