Skip to main content

Finland increases investment in electric vehicle research

The Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) is increasing its investment in the development of electric vehicles and machinery, battery systems and components. In addition to the expansion of the vehicle laboratory in Otaniemi, a new battery laboratory was opened in September to support the research and development of electric commercial vehicles. The laboratories will provide an opportunity to integrate the study of electric vehicles and their power generating components, such as electric motors, elect
November 16, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
The Technical Research Centre of Finland (814 VTT) is increasing its investment in the development of electric vehicles and machinery, battery systems and components.

In addition to the expansion of the vehicle laboratory in Otaniemi, a new battery laboratory was opened in September to support the research and development of electric commercial vehicles. The laboratories will provide an opportunity to integrate the study of electric vehicles and their power generating components, such as electric motors, electronics and batteries, and should open up the design of new vehicles.

The centre’s expanded research space is also suited to testing and developing heavy vehicles. Finnish industry sees significant potential in this sector.

“The electrification of vehicles and machinery will play an increasingly visible role in the VTT’s research projects, combining expertise related to materials technology, electrotechnology, electric machines and vehicles,” says research professor Nils-Olof Nylund. “Our approach is based on the needs of Finnish industry. In other words, we will focus on projects with actual business potential.”

Other participants in this research include not only the VTT, but Aalto University, Tekes, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Veolia Transport, Normet , Rocla, Fortum, Kabus, Vacon, European Batteries, Helsinki Region Transport, the City of Espoo and the University of Applied Sciences.

Related Content

  • Study reveals in-car devices aid positive changes to driver behaviour
    December 3, 2012
    The results of a four-year study by the Field Operational Tests of Aftermarket and Nomadic devices in Vehicles (TeleFOT) Consortium were presented at a recent conference in Brussels. The study focused on the assessment of the impact of driver support functions provided by in-vehicle aftermarket and nomadic devices on driving and driver behaviour. Coordinated by the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) and with a budget of US$19.5 million, the four-year TeleFOT project is one of the biggest traffic IC
  • Stop thinking and act on cooperative infrastructures
    February 2, 2012
    OmniAir's Tim McGuckin looks at why metropolitan transportation networks might be the key to securing the long-term funding of cooperative infrastructure
  • Electric vehicles in construction are the future, say researchers
    December 20, 2016
    The industrial and commercial sector is the largest part of the electric vehicle value market and that will continue to be the case according to analysis in the IDTechEx report, Industrial and Commercial Electric Vehicles 2017-2027. Buses are the largest part of that and they are mainly made in China for China, where typical orders are ten times the size of orders elsewhere. Less dramatically, construction, mining and agriculture do not see 70 per cent grants for EV versions yet they are steadily becomin
  • Do satellites provide a heavenly view of tolling’s future?
    December 16, 2014
    Satellite-based tolling opens up new options for authorities and can be integrated with DSRC systems as David Crawford discovers. As the proud custodian of the European Union (EU)’s longest road network covered by a single (truck) charging scheme – and the only one to include all major roads - Slovakia has become the continent’s poster-nation for the virtues of GNSS/CN (Global Navigation Satellite System/Cellular Network)-based tolling. It is also proved to be a very fast implementer. Speaking at the 2014 I