A Finnish startup says it has built the first production ready electric motorcycle powered by a solid state battery, and its cooling solution looks surprisingly familiar. The new Verge TS Pro Gen2 uses small, PC style fans to manage heat inside its battery pack, marking a notable shift from the liquid cooling systems typically seen in high performance electric vehicles.
The bike is powered by battery technology from Donut Lab, which has been making bold claims about its solid state cells for some time. These include high energy density, long lifespan, and fast charging capabilities. While the company has shared technical details about the battery pack design, it has not yet fully validated the underlying chemistry or performance claims, as reported by InsideEVs.
The Verge TS Pro Gen2 uses 192 individual cells, each rated at 94 watt hours, to create a battery pack with around 18 kilowatt hours of nominal capacity and up to 20 kilowatt hours at maximum. A larger version pushes this closer to 30 kilowatt hours without increasing the physical size of the enclosure. The pack is arranged in a layered structure, with four modules stacked together in a slightly offset configuration.
Instead of liquid cooling, the system relies on air cooling. Heat transfer plates sit between layers of cells, directing thermal energy outward to heat sinks mounted on either side of the pack. Small fans, similar to those used in desktop computers, then push air across these heat sinks to dissipate heat into the environment. This design keeps the battery compact, which is particularly important for motorcycles where space is limited.
Charging performance is one of the more attention grabbing aspects. The bike can reach peak charging speeds of around 100 kilowatts using a DC fast charger. In practical terms, it can charge from 10 percent to 80 percent in about 11 minutes, with a 10 to 90 percent charge taking under 15 minutes. This translates to roughly 12 miles of range added per minute under ideal conditions, based on an estimated total range of 217 miles.
Even at these speeds, the system operates at a charging rate above 5C, meaning it can charge at more than five times its total capacity per hour. That is higher than most current electric vehicle batteries, which typically remain below 4C. Donut Lab has previously suggested even faster charging is possible in larger vehicles that can support liquid cooled systems.
Despite the technical progress, questions remain. The company has yet to provide independent verification of its solid state battery chemistry or publish detailed validation data. Experts have pointed out that some of the performance claims, including extremely high cycle life, would represent a significant leap beyond current battery technology.
Production of the Verge TS Pro Gen2 has reportedly begun, but independent testing will be key to determining whether the technology performs as described in real world conditions.