- Svolt's chairman said that Donut Lab's claimed battery parameters are contradictory, and such a battery simply doesn't exist in the world.
- Donut Lab claims its all-solid-state battery achieves an energy density of up to 400 Wh/kg with a design life of up to 100,000 cycles.
Finnish startup Donut Lab's solid-state battery unveiled at CES 2026 earlier this month made a surprise splash, but to the chairman of a Chinese battery giant, it's a scam.
"That battery doesn't exist in the world," Yang Hongxin, chairman and CEO of Svolt Energy, told local media on January 14, the day after the company's sixth Battery Day event.
"All the parameters are contradictory... Any technician with basic knowledge would recognize it as a scam," Yang said, according to a Tuesday report by Xuanyuan Business Review.
Donut Lab announced its new high-performance solid-state battery at CES 2026, claiming it is the world's first solid-state battery suitable for OEM vehicle manufacturing.
The solid-state battery is already available to OEMs and will power all 2026 Verge motorcycles in the first quarter of 2026, it said.
Donut Lab claims its all-solid-state battery achieves an energy density of up to 400 Wh/kg and can be fully charged in just five minutes.
The battery requires no charging limit to 80% and supports safe, repeated, and reliable full discharges, according to the company.
Donut Lab also asserts the battery exhibits minimal capacity fade over its lifespan, with a design life of up to 100,000 cycles.
The battery maintains over 99% capacity retention at -30°C and retains over 99% capacity when heated above 100°C, with no signs of combustion or performance degradation, it claims.
These are contradictory specifications — 12C charging, extreme low-temperature performance, 400 Wh/kg energy density, no such battery exists in the world, Svolt's Yang said in the interview.
Svolt maintains a highly conservative stance on all-solid-state batteries. "Too many unresolved issues exist; it's premature to discuss industrialization timelines," he said.
"China's technology is the most advanced globally. If China can't produce or perfect it, companies from other countries certainly can't either. We must possess this confidence,” Yang said.
Meanwhile, he added, information gathering should continue while rationally assessing mass production timelines.
Svolt has established a dedicated 2.3 GWh production line for semi-solid-state batteries. Its 100-kWh semi-solid-state battery achieves a system energy density of 188 Wh/kg and supports peak 6C charging rates.
The company aims to complete development of its second-generation 400 Wh/kg semi-solid-state cells in 2026, followed by 450 Wh/kg semi-solid-state pouch cells by 2028.
Other major Chinese battery manufacturers, including CATL (HKG: 3750, SHE: 300750) and BYD (HKG: 1211, OTCMKTS: BYDDY), currently target small-scale vehicle integration of solid-state batteries by 2027.
CATL and BYD rank as the world's top two battery manufacturers, holding 38.2% and 16.7% of the global market share respectively from January to November, according to data from South Korean market research firm SNE Research.
Svolt held a 2.6% global market share during the same period, ranking ninth.
| Company | Market Share (%) | Installations (GWh) |
|---|---|---|
| CATL | 38.2% | 400.0 |
| BYD | 16.7% | 175.2 |
| LG Energy Solution | 9.3% | 96.9 |
| CALB | 4.9% | 50.9 |
| Gotion High-tech | 4.3% | 44.9 |
| SK On | 3.9% | 40.6 |
| Panasonic | 3.7% | 38.5 |
| Eve Energy | 2.7% | 28.4 |
| Svolt | 2.6% | 27.5 |
| Samsung SDI | 2.6% | 27.1 |
| Others | 11.1% | 116.1 |
