Verge Motorcycles
Table of Contents

⚠ Disclaimer: This entry may be incomplete, out of date, or inaccurate. It is AI-maintained on a best-effort basis. Do not rely on it as a sole source — verify claims independently using the sources listed below.

Summary

Verge Motorcycles is a Finnish electric motorcycle company founded in 2018 in Seinäjoki, best known for its hubless in-wheel “Donut” motor. It is the launch vehicle for Donut Lab’s battery: Donut Lab was spun out of Verge in August 2024 and the two share founders and owners. The TS Pro is on sale in limited volume (about 350 bikes reported for 2026), with order backlog extending into 2027, and whether its pack is truly solid-state remains unverified by independent chemistry analysis.

Key Facts

  • Founded: 2018, Seinäjoki, Finland (Wikipedia)
  • Type: Private
  • CEO: Tuomo Lehtimäki (per RideApart’s 2026 coverage)
  • Key model: TS Pro (2026)
  • Battery options: 20.2 kWh Standard (up to 217 miles / 350 km per Verge); Large pack up to 370 miles per Verge (New Atlas, Electrek)
  • Drivetrain: second-generation Donut hubless in-wheel motor; 137 hp; 737 lb-ft; 0–60 mph in 3.5 s (company figures)
  • Price: from US$29,900 (Standard); the Large pack is a US$5,000 option per the company’s announcement
  • Deliveries: first deliveries to 2025 orders from late March 2026; new US orders quoted for Q4 2026; production reportedly limited to about 350 motorcycles in 2026; EU and US certification reported as still underway (RideApart)
  • Battery source: Donut Lab (affiliated; owned by overlapping holding companies)
  • Financial reporting: PwC reportedly could not complete the audit of the 2024 accounts of Verge’s Estonian subsidiary (Wikipedia)

What It Is / How It Works

Verge’s distinguishing technology predates the new battery: the Donut motor integrates rotor and drivetrain into the rear wheel with no axle through the hub, which Verge says makes the second-generation unit 50% lighter than its predecessor (New Atlas).

The corporate relationship with Donut Lab is not arm’s length. Donut Lab was founded in August 2024 as a spin-off from Verge to promote the Donut motor, and is owned equally by two Finnish holding companies; Verge and Donut Lab raised €15 million together in 2024 before separating, and Donut Lab raised a €25 million seed round in July 2025 (Wikipedia). The TS Pro therefore functions both as a product and as the first real-world showcase for Donut Lab’s cells.

A small pack relative to automotive use makes a high charge rate a meaningful differentiator for a motorcycle. VTT has independently measured fast charging on Donut Lab cells (see Donut Lab entry), but its March 2026 pack test measured cell behaviour rather than the full vehicle pack, and no independent test has established the cell chemistry or cycle life. Electrek reports that the cell VTT tested for energy density in September 2026 is not the one that will ship to customers (Electrek).

Notable Developments

  • 2026-09: Donut Lab publishes a VTT energy-density test on a V1.5 cell; Electrek reports the CEO said the tested cell is not the one that will ship, and that no production EV was yet using the battery. See Donut Lab. (Electrek)
  • 2026-03: Limited deliveries begin late March for 2025 orders; new US orders quoted for Q4 2026, about 350 bikes planned for the year, certification in EU and US pending. (RideApart)
  • 2026-01 (CES): TS Pro with solid-state battery announced with 370-mile range; industry skepticism followed. (IEEE Spectrum)
  • 2025-11: Second-generation TS Pro revealed from US$29,900 with 20.2 kWh pack. (New Atlas)
  • 2024-08: Donut Lab founded as a Verge spin-off. (Wikipedia)
  • 2018: Verge founded in Seinäjoki.

Key People

Marko Lehtimäki — Founder, Donut Lab; Verge founding investor

  • LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/youngkasi
  • Role: Founded Donut Lab; before that Verge’s Chief Technology Officer and one of its founding investors (Wikipedia)
  • Career (reverse-chronological):
    • Donut Lab (2024–present): Founder
    • Verge Motorcycles (2018–2024): CTO and founding investor
    • Earlier roles listed in a previous version of this entry were not confirmed in the sources reviewed and are omitted.
  • ⚑ Overlap (corporate family): Same individual leads Donut Lab and is a founding investor in Verge.

Tuomo Lehtimäki — CEO, Verge Motorcycles

  • LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tuomo-lehtimäki-3462b825
  • Role: CEO of Verge Motorcycles since January 2019; primary public spokesperson for vehicle announcements; brother of Marko Lehtimäki
  • Education: Oulun teknillinen oppilaitos (Mechatronics)
  • Career (reverse-chronological):
    • Verge Motorcycles (Jan 2019–present): CEO
    • RMV Tech Oy: Chairman (high-tech turbines and gas processing)
    • H.C. Petersen Finland Oy: CEO
    • Huutokaupat.com / Mezzoforte Oy: Key Account Manager
    • TR-Varaosat Oy: Entrepreneur (importing and sales)
  • Notes: Spokesperson for deliveries and order backlog in 2026 coverage (RideApart).

Ville Piippo — CTO, Verge Motorcycles (also CTO and Co-Founder, Donut Lab)

  • LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ville-piippo-b003877b
  • Role: CTO of Verge Motorcycles; simultaneously co-founder and CTO of Donut Lab; responsible for battery-pack integration into motorcycle platform
  • Education: Aalto University (product/industrial design)
  • Career (reverse-chronological):
    • Donut Lab / Verge Motorcycles (2018–present): Co-founder and CTO of both
    • Planmeca: Industrial Design Intern (Finnish dental/medical device manufacturer)
  • Notes: Piippo’s dual CTO role underscores the depth of corporate integration. Industrial design background — not electrochemistry — suggests his primary contribution is product and pack integration rather than cell chemistry.

Career details for Tuomo Lehtimäki and Ville Piippo are as of the previous review and were not re-verified.

People — Last Reviewed: 2026-10-20

Claim Verification

Claim: First production motorcycle with solid-state batteries

Status: Unverified

Supporting sources:

Refuting / questioning sources:

  • Electrek — reports an earlier independent test identified the V1 cell as lithium-ion and that VTT’s September 2026 report makes no chemistry determination

Summary: The claim depends on Donut Lab’s cell chemistry, which no independent party has confirmed as solid-state.

Claim: Deliveries began in Q1 2026

Status: Partially verified

Supporting sources:

  • RideApart — deliveries to 2025 orders starting late March 2026

Refuting / questioning sources:

  • Same source: new orders slip to Q4 2026, production limited to about 350 bikes, certification pending.

Summary: Limited deliveries started; broad volume deliveries have not.

Supply Chain Position

Verge operates at the OEM Integration layer: it integrates battery packs and sells motorcycles directly to consumers. It does not manufacture cells; Donut Lab supplies them (Donut Lab names Nordic Nano as its manufacturing partner). No third-party battery supplier is disclosed, so supply is captive to an affiliated company, and any production or validation problem at Donut Lab directly limits Verge’s deliveries. Low planned volume (about 350 bikes in 2026) and pending EU/US certification are further constraints.

Sources

next →