Donut Lab Solid State Battery Test 4 - Shocking!

Quick Overview

The Donut Lab's subsequent tests confirmed that the liquid-cooled 120 kWh battery pack in the Lucid Gravity is capable of maintaining a high charge rate (peaking around 375 kW) up to 70% State of Charge (SOC), significantly outperforming the air-cooled Version 1 test, which required a major taper around 50% SOC due to thermal limitations.

Key Points: The liquid-cooled Lucid Gravity battery pack maintained a peak charge rate near 375 kW up to 70% SOC, demonstrating superior thermal management compared to the air-cooled version's taper around 50% SOC. The air-cooled battery (Test 1) showed a significant charge rate drop around 50% SOC, hitting a low plateau before recovering slightly, while the liquid-cooled simulation (Simulation 2) maintained a high rate until approximately 75% SOC. Simulations indicated that a 120 kWh pack with the liquid cooling could charge from 0% to 80% in about 18 minutes, significantly faster than the 26 minutes estimated for the air-cooled pack. Comment analysis revealed the top recurring themes included demands to weigh the battery for density proof, skepticism about unverified 300k cycle life claims, and comparisons to BYD/Chinese vehicles. The VTT lab test on a single cell showed that charging at 11C (the claimed rate) generates 121 times more thermal stress than 1C charging, explaining the necessity for advanced cooling. The air-cooled motorcycle battery test showed a sustained charge rate around 100 kW until about 60% SOC before tapering down, whereas the liquid-cooled simulation maintained a much higher rate across the entire curve. The audience strongly desires real-world testing (e.g., by Bjorn Nyland) and wants to see the technology scaled to cars and e-bikes, not just motorcycles.

Context: This video follows up on previous testing of a solid-state battery pack technology developed by Donut Lab, focusing specifically on the thermal management capabilities of a large, liquid-cooled 120 kWh pack simulation compared to an air-cooled version tested on a motorcycle. The creator analyzes real-world charging data from the motorcycle test and compares it against simulations for the larger EV battery pack, addressing audience skepticism and comparing the performance against competitors like Lucid and BYD.