Donut Lab, global industry experts in software-defined electric vehicle platforms and digital vehicle development, has launched DonutOS, a new software platform designed to support next-generation EV development by unifying virtual modeling with real-world vehicle behavior. The company describes the platform as enabling what it calls Digital Twin 2.0, linking simulation, validation, and vehicle behavior within a single development environment.

As electric vehicles evolve into increasingly software-defined systems, development workflows have often remained fragmented across multiple tools and physical prototyping stages. DonutOS is intended to consolidate these workflows, allowing engineering teams to design, simulate, validate, and prepare vehicle behavior before physical hardware is available.

Rendered electric vehicle chassis illustrating software connectivity points and digital vehicle architecture, EV and Battery Tech Monthly

Donut Lab has launched DonutOS, a unified software platform designed to support software-defined electric vehicle development using a digital twin–based approach.

Donut Lab CEO Marko Lehtimäki said: “DonutOS gives manufacturers the ability to design the entire vehicle – hardware, software, and behaviour – as a single digital organism. The goal is to help smaller mobility companies move faster, even when they don’t have the same resources as the big OEMs.

“Size shouldn’t count when it comes to innovation. With DonutOS we’re levelling the field and making advanced development approaches accessible.”

Traditional vehicle development typically relies on sequential stages such as physical prototyping, laboratory testing, track testing, and late-stage software integration. DonutOS replaces this approach with a unified environment in which mechanical, electrical, behavioral, sensor, and user interface systems evolve together. According to the company, this model enables shorter development cycles, earlier validation of vehicle behavior, and reduced reliance on costly physical prototypes.

The platform’s Digital Twin 2.0 approach is designed to extend beyond component-level simulation to achieve full-system parity between virtual and physical vehicles. Engineers can evaluate how an entire EV responds to real-world physics, environmental conditions, and sensor inputs while observing telemetry and data-bus activity as it would occur in a production vehicle. Once validated, the same software and logic can be deployed to physical vehicles to maintain continuity between digital development and real-world performance.

DonutOS is built on the Donut Platform, which is based on a modular EV architecture and in-wheel motor technology. This integration is intended to provide a direct path from virtual development to production rather than limiting the platform to laboratory use. The software is designed to support both small development teams seeking access to advanced tools and larger OEMs aiming to reduce internal complexity by working from a shared vehicle model.

As part of the launch, Donut Lab has introduced a Global Innovators Program that provides selected EV companies with early access to DonutOS and related technologies, along with engineering support and preferential pricing for low-volume production. The company has not yet announced a general availability timeline.

About Donut Lab

Donut Lab is a Finland-based e-mobility technology company developing modular electric vehicle platforms, in-wheel motor systems, and software-defined vehicle development tools. The company focuses on enabling scalable EV development through integrated hardware and software architectures designed to accelerate innovation across mobility applications. For more information, please click here.

 

Source/Photo Credit: Donut Lab

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Molly Bakewell Chamberlin
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