Electric vehicles

Emissions and energy consumption of transportation are among the major challenges of our time, and electrification is one of the solutions. We at VTT help both the manufacturing industry and the consumer market to implement smart electric vehicle systems at a fast pace. Our competence builds upon top-level computational and experimental facilities and know-how paired with years of experience in Finland and internationally.

The electric vehicles industry is going through an implementation phase as new technology is being introduced. And the change doesn’t just concern cars, but also buses, trucks, motorcycles, tractors, and excavators – electrification is happening in all vehicle classes. For the last 20 years, the development of electric vehicles has been active, and now, it’s starting to show in the street scene.

When we no longer charge our electric cars at gas stations but in the parking lots of grocery stores, the city view will change little by little. We are living through one of the biggest changes in society in modern times. Change is taking place right now on such a broad front and with such huge volumes that organizations are under pressure to adopt proven technology.

The lack of clear interoperability rules in electric vehicle charging networks prevents various infrastructures from working together as a united, secure, cost-effective, and reliable system. At VTT, we are experts in charging technologies and provide consulting services to select the best charging solution. In our interoperability laboratory, we test electric vehicle charging systems for compatibility and interoperability to ensure that they comply with the latest international standards.

VTT has years of experience in helping customers make the right choices. For example, we have helped urban public transport operators in purchasing buses. Being able to make the right choices in public transport is influenced by many things: the geography of the city, where charging stations are placed, different types of charging and so on.

Thanks to our virtual environment, we can test and compare different vehicle combinations with each other virtually, in a geographically correct environment, which gives us information about what kind of vehicles suit the needs of different cities. We test prototypes in a virtual, modelled environment, in our laboratories, and in trial runs. We also do battery testing in our own laboratories at varying temperatures.

The competition is tough and successful organizations are investing in change. We can help make that change possible.