Reading the article, the investigation isn’t a case of independent labs getting hold of the battery and definitively disproving Donut’s claims. It’s battery experts and researchers looking at the data Donut has released and saying, “these claims are extraordinary and the evidence doesn’t yet convince us. Here’s what we think the battery actually is.” That’s a very reasonable scientific position, especially when you’re talking about 400 Wh/kg, 5-minute charging, and 100,000 cycles all at once.

But without independently tested samples, there are still a lot of unknowns and inferences involved. That’s not to say the skeptics are wrong, but it’s still arguably a case of skeptics being skeptical… reasonably so, but based on analysis of the available evidence rather than direct examination of the battery itself.

Yes, resource availability isn’t the issue, and “just invest more” has some massive hurdles:

• China has over 25,000 patents in the field of rare earths
• China doesn’t have the strict environmental-protection regulations like much of the rest of the world. It keeps the price very low, but at great cost to its environment from toxic run-off and the like
• Complex, expensive solvent extraction processes require extensive experience that China is well ahead of the rest of the world on
• China has a highly integrated supply chain from mining to finished product manufacturing

All these mean any processing outside of China is going to be incredibly expensive and competitively unprofitable. It’s not impossible to do, and removing dependence from China is probably worth it, but it’s going to take a lot of capital and time to achieve and sustain.