New battery type - game changer in global economy?

[ovcijisir]

Startup "Donut lab" from Finland has recently presented prototype of solid state battery.

The new battery design has bunch of upsides in comparison to lithium batteries:
- Faster charging time
- Longer lifetime of battery 
- Ability to operate in much wider temperature range
- Using minerals other than lithium

Im interested in possible implications on global economy. Car industry will certainly be affected if this battery proves itself over time.

Which other industries could be changed by this?

... startup company called Donut Lab that unveiled what it claims to be the planet’s first “production ready” solid-state electric-vehicle battery that promises lower material and manufacturing costs, longer operating ranges and the capability to fully charge in as little as five minutes.

For starters, unlike current EV batteries that should only be taken to an 80% capacity to prevent undue wear and tear and will typically last for up to 5,000 full charging cycles, Donut Lab says its solid-state cell can be quick-charged to a full 100% with no ill effects for an uncanny 100,000 cycles. That eliminates the anxiety of having to replace an expensive depleted battery pack within even the longest ownership periods.

Original article:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2026/01/07/production-ready-solid-state-battery-promises-five-minute-ev-charging/

[julerz12]

Startup "Donut lab" from Finland has recently presented prototype of solid state battery.

The new battery design has bunch of upsides in comparison to lithium batteries:
- Faster charging time
- Longer lifetime of battery 
- Ability to operate in much wider temperature range
- Using minerals other than lithium

Hm.. I don't know, some people seem skeptical about them. Some article claims they only have a single technical expert on their small team, and when they showed up at CES, the display of their battery was just an empty battery casing.

What does this even mean?

100% green and abundant materials with global availability

Don't these things still use the same materials as lithium-ion batteries? Cobalt and nickel? CMIIW

When I look at their CEO talking about their battery, I remember that chick who scammed Billions with a supposedly commercially available blood-testing machine. 

[philipma1957]

Startup "Donut lab" from Finland has recently presented prototype of solid state battery.

The new battery design has bunch of upsides in comparison to lithium batteries:
- Faster charging time
- Longer lifetime of battery  
- Ability to operate in much wider temperature range
- Using minerals other than lithium

Hm.. I don't know, some people seem skeptical about them. Some article claims they only have a single technical expert on their small team, and when they showed up at CES, the display of their battery was just an empty battery casing.

What does this even mean?

100% green and abundant materials with global availability

Don't these things still use the same materials as lithium-ion batteries? Cobalt and nickel? CMIIW

When I look at their CEO talking about their battery, I remember that chick who scammed Billions with a supposedly commercially available blood-testing machine.  

More likely to be a fake then real.

But it would be great if it is real.

And it would mean Donald Trump was right about fuck you to current electric cars.

But it is from Denmark so in the current world climate if it is real Trump will likely attack Greenland to fuck with Demark and this battery.

Time will tell how real it  is.

[viljy]

I looked at the company's website. It is indicated that the energy density is 400 Wh/kg. I read something somewhere about silicon-carbon batteries, but this solid-state battery is probably something completely new. Although it is unclear how it is possible to make a battery with a solid electrolyte... It will look like something like a slowly discharging capacitor.

[fruktik]

I looked at the company's website. It is indicated that the energy density is 400 Wh/kg. I read something somewhere about silicon-carbon batteries, but this solid-state battery is probably something completely new. Although it is unclear how it is possible to make a battery with a solid electrolyte... It will look like something like a slowly discharging capacitor.

What's so special about this? Imagine a battery like the kind used in flashlights, for example. But those are completely different dimensions. Yes, the materials are clearly newer and more advanced. Why can't they create a battery like this? I've been waiting for news like this for a long time. Whether it's true or not, it's high time tech companies came up with something like this. If it turns out to be true, the modern automotive world will change beyond recognition.

[davis196]

The new battery design has bunch of upsides in comparison to lithium batteries:
- Faster charging time
- Longer lifetime of battery
- Ability to operate in much wider temperature range
- Using minerals other than lithium

Im interested in possible implications on global economy. Car industry will certainly be affected if this battery proves itself over time.

Which other industries could be changed by this?

The most important question is "How much will it cost?". If such battery is still more expensive than Li-Ion batteries, then everything is pointless. The experts keep arguing about an upcoming "battery revolution", but the process is really slow and it will take years for a properly working solid state battery to go from fully functional prototype to mass production and global adoption. The Electric Vehicle industry and the solar panel industry desperately need a cheap and effective solid state battery, that would replace the Li-Ion batteries, but I don't think that anything will change in the next 5 years. 

[julerz12]

What's so special about this?

Imagine plugging your EV car into a super-charger station, and you only need to wait 5 (five) minutes from zero to full charge. The current lithium-ion batteries on EVs mostly take 30-60 minutes to reach 80% capacity.
They also claim that it will last 100,000 charge cycles, while the current EV batteries only last 1,500-3,000 cycles. That's what's special about their supposedly new battery: fast charging + longer life span.

Why can't they create a battery like this? I've been waiting for news like this for a long time. Whether it's true or not, it's high time tech companies came up with something like this. If it turns out to be true, the modern automotive world will change beyond recognition.

These guys are so secretive with the tech behind their new battery that people are getting skeptical about them (and rightfully so).
Either they have truly cracked the code in making a game-changer solid-state battery, and don't want their possible competitors to beat them to full production, hence the secrecy, or they really have nothing to show for.
Some guy on reddit did found a patent belonging to Holyvolt AB (Swedish company), who he thinks is probably working with Nordic Nano and Donut Labs.

Summary: Patent WO2025230455A1 describes a flexible solid energy storage module. It utilizes a solid electrolyte instead of liquid ones and includes a protective layer to enhance durability. The design allows for a thinner, lighter, and safer battery that can be manufactured using techniques like screen printing, making it suitable for various flexible applications.

https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2025230455A1/en

[DrBeer]

Startup "Donut lab" from Finland has recently presented prototype of solid state battery.

The new battery design has bunch of upsides in comparison to lithium batteries:
- Faster charging time
- Longer lifetime of battery 
- Ability to operate in much wider temperature range
- Using minerals other than lithium

Im interested in possible implications on global economy. Car industry will certainly be affected if this battery proves itself over time.

Which other industries could be changed by this?

... startup company called Donut Lab that unveiled what it claims to be the planet’s first “production ready” solid-state electric-vehicle battery that promises lower material and manufacturing costs, longer operating ranges and the capability to fully charge in as little as five minutes.

For starters, unlike current EV batteries that should only be taken to an 80% capacity to prevent undue wear and tear and will typically last for up to 5,000 full charging cycles, Donut Lab says its solid-state cell can be quick-charged to a full 100% with no ill effects for an uncanny 100,000 cycles. That eliminates the anxiety of having to replace an expensive depleted battery pack within even the longest ownership periods.

Original article:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2026/01/07/production-ready-solid-state-battery-promises-five-minute-ev-charging/

The development of technologies to replace modern batteries has been going on for several years. From what I see in this market, the idea of solid-state supercapacitors is promising. They have the desired properties: fast charging, high capacity, greater safety, and more recharge cycles. They also eliminate the need for critical materials, which are now becoming a means of global manipulation.
What impact will this have on the economy?
- An even faster decline in demand for petroleum products, not only from passenger cars, but probably also from other types of vehicles.
- Demand for the chemical elements used in these batteries.
- Naturally, an increase in demand for electricity generation.

[Moreno233]

Startup "Donut lab" from Finland has recently presented prototype of solid state battery.

The new battery design has bunch of upsides in comparison to lithium batteries:
- Faster charging time
- Longer lifetime of battery  
- Ability to operate in much wider temperature range
- Using minerals other than lithium

Im interested in possible implications on global economy. Car industry will certainly be affected if this battery proves itself over time.

Which other industries could be changed by this?

These are just bold claims with no prove yet. They can still be seen as those doing very well in their marketing until their product is put to test by a renown brand for a year or few years so we see their performance. Until then, these guys still have so many unanswered questions regarding their inventions. It is best to regard them as work in progress and at that point, I don't think it is right to say they are going to disrupt global business in that area just yet, such claim is too early.

[ovcijisir]

What does this even mean?

100% green and abundant materials with global availability

Don't these things still use the same materials as lithium-ion batteries? Cobalt and nickel? CMIIW

From what I read there are two options that can replace lithium and they are sodium and titanium.

I think that sodium based bateries are superior to lithium based ones but there is drawback in bigger weight.

A lot of people in the comments of video you posted speculate that the batteries could be TiO based

What's so special about this?

Imagine plugging your EV car into a super-charger station, and you only need to wait 5 (five) minutes from zero to full charge. The current lithium-ion batteries on EVs mostly take 30-60 minutes to reach 80% capacity.

There is one thing that will pose the problem when (if) this battery starts to be built in the cars - Can current electric grid (generators, transformers, transmission lines) really handle the load of hundreds of cars charging?

Also electrical contact between charging station and car will be extremely heated up, as huge amount of energy will flow trough it in short amount of time.

~
The development of technologies to replace modern batteries has been going on for several years. From what I see in this market, the idea of solid-state supercapacitors is promising. They have the desired properties: fast charging, high capacity, greater safety, and more recharge cycles. They also eliminate the need for critical materials, which are now becoming a means of global manipulation.
What impact will this have on the economy?
- An even faster decline in demand for petroleum products, not only from passenger cars, but probably also from other types of vehicles.
- Demand for the chemical elements used in these batteries.
- Naturally, an increase in demand for electricity generation.

I also wonder if the battery will influence consumer electronics like cell phones, where battery is weak point and mostly people buy new phones when battery starts to fail.

I also believe that this kind of battery can have very positiveinfluence on home battery systems like Tesla's powerwall

[DrBeer]

I also wonder if the battery will influence consumer electronics like cell phones, where battery is weak point and mostly people buy new phones when battery starts to fail.

I also believe that this kind of battery can have very positiveinfluence on home battery systems like Tesla's powerwall

I am not ready to say whether supercapacitor technology is suitable for mobile devices, but silicon-carbon batteries are already widely used in mobile devices, and they have significantly better characteristics than the usual lithium-ion batteries.

As for home autonomous systems, yes, it will be a very good replacement. I currently have a 10 kW LiFePo4 autonomous system at home, which weighs 60 kilograms But it is better than Li-ion, at least in terms of safety and the number of recharge cycles.

[WillyAp]

Solid state batteries don't like it war, neither do lithium batteries.

Donut Lab’s technology is claimed to maintain 99% of its available range whether the mercury reaches a frigid -22 degrees Fahrenheit or an uninhabitable 212 degrees.

The claim is there as many others,

[NeuroticFish]

These guys are so secretive with the tech behind their new battery that people are getting skeptical about them (and rightfully so).

I've read about them and for now I'm also skeptical. If they indeed start to make and sell such batteries for real, that's a game changer for both EV and renewable energy industry, and probably many more areas. But for now they didn't really prove much; I fear that they only want to get some big money from investors, they would not be the first ones doing so.

I also wonder if the battery will influence consumer electronics like cell phones, where battery is weak point and mostly people buy new phones when battery starts to fail.

At least for start, I expect this kind of tech would be too bulky for mobile phones.

[OgNasty]

Solid state batteries don't like it war, neither do lithium batteries.

Donut Lab’s technology is claimed to maintain 99% of its available range whether the mercury reaches a frigid -22 degrees Fahrenheit or an uninhabitable 212 degrees.

The claim is there as many others,

This.  I've read so many times about Toyota creating a salt water battery among many other innovations.  Elon says it best.  Prototypes are easy, production is hard.

Scientists have also demonstrated the ability to transport particles, but I think I'll continue owning a vehicle for now.

[goldkingcoiner]

It seems like they are trying to hype it up for their investors. They have yet to provide proof, am I understanding this right?
All I am reading is "claims this, claims that".

From what I can tell this is a startup making promises and exaggerations in order to get investors. Smells like BS.

The news about such a new battery would be much louder than this.

[passwordnow]

The world needs it but it looks too good to be true when a battery is fast charging and yet, it's draining and life is going to last. Most of the batteries that we use can be drained quickly if ever they're also fast charging. Well, I want to see it for myself so that we would only spend one time and yet the usage is going to last a life time. I haven't seen that yet and for sure if there will be car manufacturing companies that will use that kind of battery, they'll drive sales.

[shinratensei_]

This kind of news appear every year. Always some breakthrough in battery type or breakthrough to solving cancer.
If they can make it happen, that will be good. The thing is, I've had enough of this news already. Previous year there were also some news about nuclear battery that can last hundreds of years.

My rough guess is, some company is trying to find funding for their vaporware.