Финская стартап Donut Lab подтвердила рекордную плотность твердотельных аккумуляторов

It might have a funny name, but when it comes to the technology it’s developing, the car world needs to take Donut Lab seriously. Very seriously. We’re talking about the Finnish startup that earlier this year claimed to have automotive-grade solid-state batteries ready for production. While a lot of companies have made similar claims, Donut Lab actually went about getting one of its solid-state batteries independently tested, and the numbers are promising. A New Milestone In Battery Density Independent testing of an individual cell from Donut Lab’s Donut Battery portfolio, conducted by the Finnish government-backed VTT Technical Research Center, confirmed that the cell achieved an energy density of 805 watt-hours per liter of volume and 409 watt-hours per kilogram of weight, putting it ahead of the competition. The list includes Lucid, whose latest batteries use Panasonic Energy cells with an energy density of 800 Wh per liter – the highest of any vehicle battery in production. Panasonic Energy doesn’t provide a density rating per kilogram for its cells, but Donut Lab’s edge is probably even greater than the per-liter rating given the lightweight characteristics of solid-state batteries. This is crucial because the Panasonic Energy cells used by Lucid still have a liquid-type electrolyte, like almost all EVs currently on the road. Solid-state batteries are generally considered superior because they can offer higher energy density while being significantly less prone to fire, but they remain difficult to mass-produce at the volumes needed by the auto industry. That said, the battery tested here is an optimized version of Donut Lab’s first-generation solid-state battery, which the company has already managed to produce in small numbers for use in an electric motorcycle built by its sister company, Verge Motorcycles. Donut Lab is also deep into development of a second-generation solid-state battery, which it showed earlier this year at CES and promises some really crazy numbers, such as a charge time of just seven minutes. The same company also has a donut-shaped electric motor that weighs 88 pounds and develops up to 845 horsepower. How Was The Test Performed? The VTT test was performed using a single cell that was fully charged and discharged at an optimal 25 degrees C (77 degrees F). It’s also worth noting that only a single cycle was conducted, and the performance of one cell also doesn’t necessarily indicate how it will behave when integrated into a full battery pack with multiple other cells. In other words, real-world results could differ. Cycle life, charging performance, safety, thermal management and degradation all need to be verified, but perhaps the biggest challenge will be manufacturing – at the volumes and costs required by the auto industry. It's why even major automakers like Toyota and Mercedes-Benz, which have demonstrated vehicles with solid-state batteries, are still reluctant to say when the technology will be in showrooms. CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters Donut Lab’s battery is still a long way from being produced at an automotive scale, and that could be years away, if it happens at all. But the numbers are promising, and solid-state batteries with long range, short charge times and greater stability could solve many of the issues currently holding back EV sales. And the potential goes beyond cars, with Donut Lab also working with companies looking to use its batteries for energy storage and drones. That gives the technology a much wider scope, even if the road to mass production remains a long one.