DonutOS: Transforming Electric Vehicle Development
In 2025, Donut Lab, a Finnish e-mobility tech leader, launched DonutOS, a revolutionary software platform that fundamentally alters the way electric vehicles (EVs) are designed and engineered. Unlike traditional development workflows that rely on separate phases and slow physical prototyping, DonutOS consolidates the entire EV engineering process into a single unified environment. This innovation enables manufacturers to design, simulate, validate, and refine every aspect of the vehicle—including hardware, software, sensor systems, and software-defined behavior—before any physical hardware exists. The platform particularly empowers smaller companies and startups by leveling the playing field with larger original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), accelerating their time to market with advanced development tools previously accessible mainly to industry giants.​
Digital Twin 2.0: Bridging Virtual and Real Worlds
A standout feature of DonutOS is its Digital Twin 2.0 technology, which creates an interactive virtual vehicle that mirrors every system, sensor, control unit, and data stream of the physical counterpart in real time. This represents a crucial leap beyond earlier digital twin models that only simulated isolated components. Engineers can now test how an entire EV responds to real-world physics, environmental stimuli, and sensor inputs comprehensively and with full telemetry, all within a simulated environment. This approach slashes development cycles from years down to months or weeks, allowing teams to deploy validated software directly onto physical vehicles, ensuring total continuity between digital models and real-world performance. This capability is vital for the increasing complexity of software-defined vehicles and their continuous updates post-manufacture.​
Unified Platform for Efficient and Scalable Development
DonutOS integrates closely with Donut Lab’s existing Donut Platform hardware ecosystem, which features modular components such as donut-shaped in-wheel motors, battery packs, and vehicle control systems optimized for performance and manufacturing efficiency. This modular architecture supports rapid adaptation for various EV applications ranging from passenger cars and SUVs to off-road vehicles, drones, and even electric aircraft. Donut Lab also offers a Global Innovators Program for early access and tailored support to qualified EV manufacturers, helping scale innovation from startups to established OEMs. By enabling collaborative development across mechanical, electrical, and behavioral systems under one digital roof, DonutOS facilitates reduced costs, simplifies internal complexity for large players, and fosters agility for small teams.​
Accelerating EV Applications and Industry Impact
The applications of DonutOS reflect broader trends in the 2025 EV industry, where integration of software and hardware is no longer sequential but continuous and intertwined. Beyond personal vehicles, electric mobility now includes commercial fleets, public transit, aerial drones, and specialty vehicles. Donut Lab’s platform contributes to making these feasible by drastically shortening hardware development lead times and enabling sophisticated, software-driven behavior simulations early in the process. This aligns with industry needs for innovation speed, cost reduction, and scalability while meeting rising consumer demand and regulatory pressure for sustainable transport solutions.​
DonutOS: Shaping the Future of Electric Mobility
DonutOS exemplifies a shift toward software-defined vehicle development that will shape the future of electric mobility. By unifying hardware and software design into a seamless digital workflow, it breaks down traditional barriers in EV engineering. This opens the door for more agile development, faster innovation cycles, and broader access to cutting-edge EV technology. Donut Lab’s vision, realized through Digital Twin 2.0 and modular platform synergy, promises to accelerate EV adoption and impact across industries globally, making advanced electric vehicles more accessible, versatile, and efficient than ever before.
