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We spoke about the partnership with AVL and the future of the powertrain
with key figures from Valmet Automotive – Stefan Sommer, Business Unit
Manager of Testing; Jan Stulken, Head of Team Test Coordination eDrive;
Frank Gedemer, Head of Team Setup and Test Facility; and Sebastian Bohnet,
Test Engineer Test Coordination eDrive at Valmet Automotive Engineering
GmbH.
‹AVL›: Valmet Automotive is
strongly committed to the German
market and currently actively
engaged in the field of electrification.
What is your motivation
and how would you describe the
mobility of the future?
‹VA/SO›: The automobile as we
have known it for decades is undergoing
a radical change, evolving
into an autonomous vehicle that
will bring with it a level of mobility
never seen before. We want to take
part in this technological transformation
and use this opportunity to
actively shape the future.
AVL›: In this collaboration with
AVL, your focus is on battery
tests. Where do you start in this
field of development?
‹VA/SO›: We’ve been actively involved
in battery testing R&D
projects for more than 10 years at
our plant in Uusikaupunki (FIN).
In Germany we began testing storage
systems around two years ago.
Our service portfolio includes a
variety of tests ranging from cell
characterization and module tests
to electrical and mechanical performance
tests of complete high-voltage
storage systems.
‹AVL›: What requirements must
energy storage systems fulfill to
be used for next-generation drive
systems?
‹VA/BO›: Whether you use a highvoltage
battery primarily in urban
areas for stop-and-go driving or
choose a hybrid solution for covering
greater distances, the energy
storage system will always be one of
the most important components. To
be able to challenge the dominance
of the internal combustion engine,
they have to offer increased power
density while maintaining a very
high level of safety and still remaining
affordable for customers.
At the groundbreaking
ceremony in August 2019,
Olaf Bongwald, CEO of
Valmet Automotive Group,
described the Battery Test
Center in Bad Friedrichshall
as an important step to
expand the company’s
testing facilities.