The Solid State Revolution

Why Battery Chemistry Might Matter More Than You Think

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Right before CES 2026 in Las Vegas, Finnish startup Donut Lab made a big announcement that grabbed the electric vehicle world’s attention. Rather than showing off another prototype or making uncertain promises, they revealed their solid state batteries are already in production and will soon be used in Verge Motorcycles starting in early 2026. These batteries claim five-minute charging, 400 watt-hours per kilogram energy density, and up to 100,000 charge cycles. If these claims hold up, it could be a breakthrough that changes what electric vehicles are capable of.

Donut Lab isn’t alone in making progress. Toyota plans to start mass-producing solid state batteries by 2027, aiming for cars that can charge in ten minutes and travel over 1,000 kilometers. Samsung SDI is also looking at 2027, with batteries that could give BMW test cars a 600-mile range and nine-minute charging times. And so on.

Why are solid state batteries such a big deal? Simply put, they replace the liquid electrolyte in regular lithium-ion batteries with a solid material, like ceramics, glass, or solid polymers. This change may seem small, but it can lead to major improvements. Liquid electrolytes are flammable, which is why electric vehicle fires sometimes happen. Solid electrolytes are not flammable. They also allow for lithium metal anodes instead of graphite, which greatly increases energy density. These batteries can handle extreme temperatures that would damage traditional batteries, and they offer much faster charging without the wear and tear seen in current technology.

The benefits are significant: longer range, faster charging, better safety, lighter weight, and batteries that can last as long as the car instead of wearing out after a few thousand cycles. But there’s another key point that often gets missed when people focus on the technical side. It’s that in battery technology, as in any romance, the chemistry is what really counts.

Many people think of batteries as a hardware problem - if you build a better battery, you win. But the real challenge isn’t just the hardware, it’s what materials or chemicals are used. That’s where geopolitics comes in. Most lithium-ion batteries today depend on a complex global supply chain, with China leading the way. China processes about 60-70% of the world’s lithium, more than 70% of natural graphite, and up to 96% of cathode materials. When China tightened export controls on battery materials and rare earth elements in late 2025, it was a clear sign that whoever controls the materials also controls the future of electric vehicles.

This is why solid state batteries are more than just a new technology, they offer a strategic advantage. Unlike lithium-ion batteries, which rely on cobalt from the Democratic Republic of Congo, nickel processed in Indonesia, and graphite from China, many solid state batteries are designed to use materials that are more common and widely available. Donut Lab says their battery uses materials “found everywhere,” avoiding rare or sensitive elements. Toyota is working with Idemitsu Kosan to build sulfide electrolyte production in Japan. These moves aren’t just for show but are real efforts to avoid depending on limited supply chains.

Of course, there’s still work to do. Solid state batteries remain more expensive to produce than conventional lithium-ion technology, though costs are falling rapidly. Manufacturing at scale is challenging because, for instance, maintaining solid-solid interfaces as batteries expand and contract during use is trickier than it sounds. And we’re still in the early stages of understanding how these batteries perform over years of real-world use.

But for the first time, this doesn’t seem just about lab breakthroughs or distant promises. Solid state batteries are now being used on real roads. They’re being made at large scale, and companies are already taking orders for vehicles with this technology, with deliveries set for weeks, not years. Moreover, the countries and companies that manage to make solid state batteries at scale will not only build better electric vehicles, but also control a supply chain that isn’t tied to just a few risky sources.