With the global electric bus market expected to witness a compound annual growth rate above 30 percent from 2017 to 2025, ABB is leading the way in the development of smart Heavy Vehicle Charger (HVC) charging solutions with the launch of its HVC-Overnight Charging products.
At Busworld 2017 in Kortrijk, Belgium, ABB unveiled its latest solution for charging electric buses, incorporating smart charging features with a future proof and modular design, safe and reliable operation and remote service and data management as part of the ABB Ability portfolio of solutions.
After 12 years of research and development in EV charging solutions and experience from commercial products in the field since 2010, the HVC-Overnight Charger offers a compact, single power cabinet paired with up to three charge boxes. This means that after the first vehicle has finished charging, the next will start charging automatically, maximizing vehicle availability and reducing the initial investment and subsequent operational costs.
Designed with scalability in mind, the power cabinets of ABB’s HVC-Overnight Charger can be upgraded from 50kW to 100kW or 150kW at any time.
The chargers also come with an extensive suite of connectivity features including remote monitoring, remote management, remote diagnostics, and remote software upgrades. These advanced services from ABB Ability provide customers with powerful insight into their charging operation, and enable high uptime and fast response to problems.
Frank Mühlon, Head of ABB’s Global Business for Electric Vehicle Charging explains: “Policy makers across the globe are focusing on developing sustainable public transit solutions to tackle emissions in and around the most densely populated cities.
“At ABB we have always been at the forefront of developing state-of-the-art and cost-efficient solutions that meet our customers’ needs and enable us all to look forward to a greener future. The launch of our HVC-Overnight Charging products enabling a smart sequential charging is another significant step towards making this a reality.”
Also showcased by ABB at Busworld 2017 is the HVC-Opportunity Charging range, which offers high-power automated charging for both single and double deck electric buses from any manufacturer in as little as 3-6 minutes by using a pantograph coming down from the infrastructure.
In addition, visitors to the ABB was able to find out about its innovative TOSA flash charging and on-board electric vehicle technology for e-buses. Electric bus lines can save thousands of tons of carbon dioxide per year when compared with diesel counterparts.
ABB has provided charging solutions as part of its drive to promote sustainable mobility since 2010 and has sold more than 6,000 cloud connected DC fast-chargers around the world for passenger cars and commercial vehicles.
[source: ABB]
