I Donut Believe, Episode 9: The Swap Experiment
- Buck City Biker
- Apr 30
- 2 min read
Updated: May 1
Donut’s latest episode moves away from the Verge TS Pro and into something much more everyday: retrofit potential.
This time, the team built a swappable battery demonstrator to explore what happens when solid-state tech gets dropped into an existing vehicle platform.
Less weight, more capacity, faster charging, direct retrofit. That's the promise. It makes sense quickly once you move away from halo bikes and into vehicles that actually live or die on uptime.
Key Takeaways from the Swappable Battery Demonstrator
Workbench charging demo showed live pack data
One of the more interesting moments in the episode was a live charging setup on the bench, with Donut showing voltage, current, elapsed charging time, and pack temperature in real time. During the demo, pack temperature climbed to around 80°C.
This is about retrofitting existing vehicles
The concept here is showing how a solid-state pack could transform vehicles already on the road.
Smaller and lighter pack design
The video leans heavily into the idea that solid-state architecture could reduce pack size and weight while increasing usable capacity.
Faster charging remains central
Even with the swap concept, Donut continues to position charging speed as one of the battery’s biggest advantages.
Last-mile delivery is the obvious target
The use case discussed most heavily is delivery and utility vehicles, where charging downtime directly affects productivity.
Still conceptual, but more relatable
Unlike some previous episodes, this one focuses less on lab validation and more on how the tech might actually change day-to-day vehicle use.
Watch The Video
The BCB Take
Donut’s latest episode doesn't reveal loads of new technical detail, but it does put forward a use case that's understandable. Who wouldn't want a smaller, lighter battery that charges faster and is a direct replacement for your current one, especially for delivery fleets or commuter-focused urban riders.
The live charging demo on the workbench was the more interesting moment. Seeing real-time stats adds a bit of substance to what is otherwise a fairly conceptual episode, and the pack maintaining around 80°C is notable given how heavily Donut has leaned into thermal stability across this whole series.
That said, this is still much more concept demonstration than technical validation.
Ride safe, folks.
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