New EV Battery Deeply Freezes Gas Vehicles

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The cost of electric vehicle batteries is spiraling downward, while the cost of gasoline and diesel is rising. That’s a perfect scenario to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles. The missing link is a level of battery performance that can match, if not surpass, a comparable internal combustion engine, and Finnish innovator Donut Lab just took a -30 degree Celsius step in that direction.

One EV Battery Will Rule Them All, Eventually

If the name Donut Lab sounds familiar to you, run out and buy yourself a cigarette. Technical Cleaning is one of the many (many, many) EV enthusiasts following Donut Lab’s story, which is quite unusual.

The company unveiled its new solid-state battery for electric vehicles at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, describing it as “the world’s first solid-state battery that is ready for use in OEM vehicle manufacturing,” while also pledging to share third-party test results.

“With a full charge in five minutes and 400 Wh/kg energy density, it seemed too good to be true. However, for skeptics, Donut Lab is publishing a new video series along with supporting material explaining the results of an independent evaluation at the VTT Technical Research Center in Finland.” Technical Cleaning reported in January.

That’s right, VTT has been validating Donut Labs’ claims every step of the way, and the startup has been sharing those reports in excruciating detail. In a response of sorts to skeptics who question its claims, Donut Lab directs the curious to VTT’s reporting on its I Donut Believe website.

The new battery for electric vehicles withstands the heat…

Donut Labs has kept the VTT on the rise since the big presentation. In March, VTT published a report validating the performance of the new battery at 100°C, i.e. the boiling point. That led some Donut watchers, including CleanTechnica Christopher Arcus, to conclude that the battery is not lithium, as others have assumed.

“Speculation that the Donut Lab battery is not real is waning as data from an independent lab shows performance at 100° Celsius. Speculation that the battery may run on lithium[s] “I can’t explain how a battery can operate at 100° Celsius,” Arcus observed.

“In independent testing, the thin membrane surrounding the bag ruptured. If the contents were a standard lithium ion with liquid electrolyte, significant outgassing would have occurred and the organic electrolyte would have caught fire,” he further noted.

…And crack the cold code

In the latest news, earlier this week Donut Lab published a new VTT report validating that the new battery retains 99% of its capacity at temperatures down to -30 degrees Celsius (-22 degrees Fahrenheit), a claim the company made at the CES presentation. The cold weather validation is significant because it pulls the rug out from under critics of electric vehicles, who like to claim that cold weather significantly limits battery performance and range.

Cold weather can affect the battery range of electric vehicles, but then again, cold weather also affects the fuel efficiency of gasoline engines. Whether gas or electric, most drivers are in the habit of planning trips to ensure they don’t get stranded on the side of the road in cold weather, or any weather for that matter, which leaves some steam in the anti-EV argument.

Still, there is always room for improvement. Electric vehicles can be designed with thermal management systems that protect against loss of performance in extreme temperatures, but Donut Lab advocates the need to eliminate external systems and build resilience into the battery itself.

The VTT test regime involved a module consisting of 14 battery cells, placed in a -30°C temperature chamber and left there for five hours. After the module was completely frozen, tests showed that it retained 97% of its ampere-hour capacity, compared to a previous measurement at +25°C (approximately +77°F).

“As the report demonstrates, after battery capacity discharges performed during deep freezing conditions, the module charges and discharges completely normally, without any adverse effects derived from the cold,” Donut Labs summarized in a press release. The company further emphasized that the testing process did not include any heating, cooling or insulation systems.

“We intentionally eliminated all the potential advantages that a battery might normally have,” explained Donut Lab CTO Ville Piippo. “Despite this, the battery was unaffected by the conditions. A typical lithium-ion battery would struggle to provide power, even for a brief moment, in such cold temperatures.”

Piippo also emphasized that the new battery avoids temperature control add-ons. “This validates our promise of 99% capacity, which customers can expect from a fully isolated battery module, with no heaters or gimmicks,” Piipp added for good measure.

Do you want more? Watch the YouTube video or download the VTT report.

Electric Vehicle Battery Mystery Solved…No!

Because Donut Labs is taking everyone on a step-by-step validation journey, there are still a few steps to go before a system-wide report is conclusive. And the great mystery wrapped in an enigma persists: what exactly is in this new battery?

That’s a good question. A likely candidate is (or was) the NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt) formula, but that idea has gone down like a lead balloon.

Meanwhile, here in the US, both Ford and General Motors have said that the next big thing in EV batteries is LMR (lithium manganese rich formula). The idea is to compete with lower-cost LFP (lithium iron phosphate) batteries, while at the same time surpassing LFPs in energy density.

Last month, GM let slip the news that its current EV battery factory in Spring Hill, Tennessee, will begin producing LMR batteries for the electric mobility market.

Ford has been somewhat less forthcoming on the LMR topic lately, which is understandable because the company’s long-awaited Fathom electric pickup truck is set to go into volume production next year. At a relatively affordable price of just under $30,000, the truck will likely feature LFP batteries.

At least, that was the case last year. “To truly deliver truly affordable electric vehicles to our customers, we made the decision years ago to fully invest in a new facility with world-class LFP production technology installed in the U.S. for the first time, wholly owned and operated by Ford,” the company’s vice president of EV systems and technology platform programs explained in an explanation published in June 2025.

Image: The mystery revolves around a new electric vehicle battery from Finnish startup Donut Lab, which just passed a performance test in extremely cold climates (screenshot courtesy of Donut Labs).