Battery-electric vehicle sales across both passenger and commercial segments may be soft right now, but the industry itself is far from fading.
Case in point: the live debut of Donut Lab and WATT Electric Vehicle Company's lightweight skateboard electric vehicle platform at CES 2026 in Las Vegas.
[Related: Sales prospects for zero emission trucks dim but autonomous tech shines]
The two companies have joined forces to rethink how electric vehicles are built from the ground up. By pairing Donut Lab's compact in-wheel motors with WATT's lightweight EV skateboard architecture, the two companies are creating a new foundation aimed at faster, simpler vehicle development.
A working skateboard prototype was put on display at the Donut Lab booth at the show. Built around WATT's aluminum PACES platform, the prototype integrates Donut Lab's direct-drive in-wheel motors—starting with a rear-wheel-drive setup, with all-wheel drive planned later in 2026.
Designed for plenty of flexibility, the platform is intended to support a wide range of vehicle concepts, including beach buggies, sports cars, and last-mile delivery vehicles. How is this possible?
Its modular design allows manufacturers to adapt the same core architecture to different use cases without compromising performance or efficiency. The system itself sounds very precise with independent control of each in-wheel motor. This enables advanced torque vectoring, improving stability and traction both on- and off-road. By removing conventional drivetrains entirely, the platform reduces weight and mechanical complexity while delivering more efficient power directly to the wheels.
"The exceptional low mass of PACES allows our high-torque, high-power-density in-wheel motors to truly shine, delivering a driving experience that would be impossible with heavier platforms," explained Marko Lehtimaki, CEO of Donut Lab. "When you combine our direct-drive precision control with WATT's lightweight engineering expertise, you create something genuinely transformative, a vehicle architecture that's lighter, more efficient, more powerful, and infinitely more engaging to drive."
According to both companies, the software-defined nature of the system gives manufacturers new freedom to shape how their vehicles drive and handle, enabling them to unlock levels of responsiveness and control that traditional EV architectures can struggle to achieve.
"The integration of Donut Lab's revolutionary in-wheel motor technology represents a significant leap for what PACES can offer the automotive world," said Neil Yates, CEO of WATT Electric Vehicles. "The direct, fine control of the individual wheel speeds brings an agility that is perfectly complemented by the low mass and inertia of our chassis technology. This skateboard can produce vehicles that will set new benchmarks for EV handling."
