Scania a key partner in the development of SEEL – Sweden's test centre for electromobility

Scania has been developing transport solutions for people and goods for more than 130 years. The company is investing heavily in electrification with the aim that at least half of its global sales will be fully electric vehicles by 2030. The aim is to meet global sustainability targets, reduce emissions and create long-term profitable transport solutions. Electrification is seen as a key to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and local air pollution, while delivering economic benefits to customers.

As one of the initiators of SEEL Swedish Electric Transport Laboratory, Scania has been involved in building the test centre and is now working closely as a collaborative partner on its further development.

"At Scania, we are very positive about SEEL's development and are pleased to be an important partner in further developing the expertise in Sweden's test bed for electromobility. This is something we see a great need for in the market," says Scania's Johan Karlsson.

Battery and powertrain testing

SEEL helps Scania, among other things, to test the capacity and service life of its vehicle batteries and electric drives, and to develop new components for electric vehicles in close cooperation with Scania's experts.

"We do this at our three test facilities located in Nykvarn, Säve outside Gothenburg and in Borås. There we have a large number of test chambers for battery cells, modules and entire battery packs that can subject the batteries to different loads and charging cycles at different temperatures, such as thermal and mechanical safety testing," says Danijel Miljanovic, Head of Energy Storage at SEEL.

"I am very impressed with how far SEEL has come in such a short time. We signed the contract for the facilities in 2021 and they were operational by 2024. To meet customer needs in the future, we see great potential in being dynamic and adaptable to make the most of the exchange between industry and academia – SEEL will be an important arena to achieve this," says Johan Karlsson from Scania.

Infrastructure for R&D and testing

SEEL has a test infrastructure that enables it to carry out technical research, concept development and testing of technical components and systems. One example is the CVHD (Complete Vehicle Heavy Duty) test cell, where customers can bring in a complete truck or bus and subject it to different temperature climates with simulated driving on different roads with different loads.