VTT’s Living Lab charging station is a growth platform for innovations in electric transport
Over the past year, a uniquely open testbed for the development of EV charging solutions has been constructed in front of VTT’s FutureHub headquarters in the Otaniemi district of Espoo. The shared use of the charging station enables the rapid testing of new products, solutions and services along with innovative pilots involving a vast group of companies. The FutureHub charging station is part of the network of testbeds taking shape in Otaniemi, which is also being promoted through the Implementation Pathway for Environments that Accelerate Sustainable Growth KETO project.
“In terms of testing and piloting, it has been a benefit to be able to fail at a small scale. The testbed provides the opportunity to practice and test things at low risk: the users do not expect the same level of service or consistency from the test solutions as commercial ones, and the trials provide direct feedback to support the development efforts,” says VTT’s Senior Scientist Marko Antila. The platform opens up new opportunities for more diverse testing, and even wilder ideas are welcome.
The area features the “Sandbox Charger”, which is connected to VTT’s information systems and enables extensive trials, as well as the Living Lab area with six spots for replaceable charging devices. In the future, a test area for wireless charging will be added. The opportunities provided by FutureHub’s charging station re not limited to charging technology, however. The development of user experiences or payment systems can take an equally important role, for example. Operators such as power companies that want to provide their customers with the opportunity to pay charging costs directly through the electricity bill can use the station to test services related to charging EVs.
The charging station is also open to customers. The chargers can be used by anyone and the charging is initially free – you can start charging by responding to a research survey that collects information about consumer behaviour. Information collection and production plays an important role in the area as the production of public information is one of the important aspects in VTT’s efforts to develop test environments. It may not be possible to openly share all information from commercial sources. Ideally, sharing information and data benefits all operators and accelerates development.
“Currently, innovations related to charging solutions are emerging that play a key role in the global green transition. The ability to be in the forefront of these developments benefits Finland and Finnish companies most of all,” says Marko Paakkinen, head of VTT’s research team.
What could the green transition mean for the development work in your company?
Building a carbon-neutral society requires bold thinking and new approaches. Espoo has the ability to take up this challenge. Join us in developing future solutions in Kera, Otaniemi and Kiviruukki! The Implementation Pathway for Environments that Accelerate Sustainable Growth KETO project boosts cooperation between businesses, schools and research organisations, and creates concrete development environments that promote the green transition and digitalisation. The project is run by the City of Espoo, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Aalto University and Omnia, together with several business partners. Project is funded by European Union’s REACT-EU ERDF and is part of the European Union’s response to the covid-19 pandemic.
