At CES 2026, the spotlight on battery tech landed on solid-state batteries, a category long promised as the next leap for electric vehicles and energy storage but rarely seen in real products, tells IEEE Spectrum. In Las Vegas, Verge Motorcycles and its partner Donut Lab announced that the Verge TS Pro will begin shipping this year with solid-state packs built in Finland, a claim few major automakers have been able to make despite years of research. The new packs replace liquid electrolytes with ceramic materials, trimming weight and improving safety. Energy density is said to reach about 400 watt-hours per kilogram, roughly double what many current lithium-ion EV batteries deliver, and enables a range of up to 600 kilometers (about 370 miles) on the large battery version. Charging from 20% to nearly full can take less than 10 minutes on the TS Pro, though the premium tech comes with a high price: about $29,900 for the base model and $34,900 for the larger pack.
Skepticism remains. Battery industry veterans note that most solid-state efforts from larger firms, such as Tesla, BYD, and others, are still years away from commercial-scale production, and technical hurdles such as dendrite formation are unresolved. Donut Lab has shared little technical detail about what’s inside its cells, and the company’s experience in mass battery manufacturing is limited.
Beyond Verge and Donut Lab, CES saw other solid-state battery developments. ProLogium showcased a “Superfluidized All-Inorganic Solid-State Lithium Ceramic Battery,” illustrating that legacy battery makers and startups alike are pushing new electrolyte and material designs.
The buzz at CES reflects a broader industry push toward batteries that are safer, have higher energy density, and charge faster than today’s lithium-ion packs. Solid-state designs, including ceramic and all-inorganic electrolytes, could cut thermal runaway risks and ease cooling needs, though widespread adoption remains uncertain.