ABB’s Electrification Products division has won a series of three orders to deliver its state-of-the-art fast-charging systems to customers in Europe and North America. All of the orders are for OppCharge charging stations, configured to operate with all-electric or hybrid-electric vehicles manufactured by Volvo Buses.
The largest order was from Volvo Buses for an additional 12 bus charging systems for use in Charleroi, Belgium. Combined with the three ABB systems that have already been installed, they will power what will be the largest single network of electric buses and bus-charging stations in Europe. Installation will be complete in 2018, powering 101 Volvo hybrid-electric buses serving the Wallonia public transport system.
ABB has also received an order for a fast-charger for buses from Värnamo Municipality in Sweden, through the municipality’s utility subsidiary, Värnamo Elnät. This was ABB’s first order in Sweden for a bus-charging system on a commercial line.
Finally, Novabus, the North American division of Volvo Buses announced recently that it would collaborate with ABB for the delivery of the first ABB electric bus charger in North America, to be used in Montreal as a demonstration of the technology for transit systems in the region.
In addition, two fast-chargers for hybrid-electric buses were commissioned late last week at Luxembourg City’s central station. The chargers will be put into service with five hybrid-electric buses from Volvo.
The state-of-the-art charging stations are capable of fully charging full-size hybrid-electric and all-electric buses. Both types take just three to six minutes to charge during a layover at the bus route’s end points.
The technology is based on the OppCharge open-standards interface. OppCharge makes it possible to use charging stations with electric buses from different manufacturers, avoiding compatibility problems.
ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a pioneering technology leader in electrification products, robotics and motion, industrial automation and power grids, serving customers in utilities, industry and transport & infrastructure globally. Continuing more than a 125-year history of innovation, ABB today is writing the future of industrial digitalization and driving the Energy and Fourth Industrial Revolutions. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 132,000 employees. www.abb.com
