The future is now: Verge TS Pro charges in just ten minutes—here’s how

Recharging the electric Superbike in under ten minutes. Possible? Yes, the high-performance Verge TS Pro is equipped with a very special charging system and batteries. Here’s how they work.

This rapid evolution is already a reality thanks to the adoption of a solid-state battery pack, designed by the technology company Donut Lab. The test with the Verge TS Pro is part of a research project aimed at measuring the characteristics of the Donut battery and focuses on the combined operation of multiple cells within a battery pack, rather than on a single cell. Verge’s air-cooled battery pack is developed for the latest-generation TS Pro electric motorcycle.

The use of Donut Lab’s solid-state battery technology in a production vehicle will be a watershed moment that is revolutionizing the entire automotive sector. Now, for the first time, the company is publicly demonstrating the battery’s operation in a vehicle at the battery pack level.

"This is the first test we’ve published for a broader audience that demonstrates the performance and behavior of multiple battery cells on a real vehicle," says Ville Piippo, CTO of Donut Lab. "The high energy density of our battery technology enables a flexible battery pack design and superior performance even in more demanding applications, such as motorcycles, where space is limited and system simplicity is crucial. We are able to offer vehicle manufacturers packs with different energy capacities in the same physical dimensions, with even the smaller packs delivering very high capacities."

The user experience

A fast-charging test conducted with Verge Motorcycles shows that extremely fast charging, under ten minutes, is indeed possible. In the test, the motorcycle’s battery is charged using a public fast charger, and the initial battery pack temperature is about 20 degrees Celsius. A maximum charging power of over 100 kW (5C charging rate) is maintained for five minutes, during which the motorcycle’s state of charge rises from 10% to 50%. Overall, a 10–70% charge is reached in just over 9 minutes, while 10–80% is achieved in 12 minutes.

"Our goal is to provide Verge users with the best possible user experience," says Tuomo Lehtimäki, CEO of Verge Motorcycles. "The advantages of Donut Lab’s battery technology, such as ultra-fast charging, align perfectly with our objective. Even the world’s fastest-charging electric motorcycle, the Verge TS Pro, is air-cooled. The battery pack used in this test is our standard model, but an extended-range version is also available, with roughly two-thirds more energy capacity."