ABB helps to design, build and maintain the infrastructure that is making the electric vehicle (EV) transport revolution happen. Electric vehicles offer the advantages of low or no emissions, noise reduction and low running costs.
As a result, demand is growing fast. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, the total market for plug in vehicles in the European Union and the European Free Trade Association area expanded by 38.7 percent in 2017 alone.
This is driving the need for charging solutions of all types, from low voltage domestic wall boxes to high power flash charging solutions for electric buses and trucks.
However, while electric vehicles hold much promise to revolutionise transportation, there are many practical challenges. For example, if all cars are plug-in models, what changes will we see on the forecourt, in the street and on our power grids? Also, how can we remake public transport as a radical improvement on the transport systems that have been powered by the internal combustion engine?
From the big picture to the fine detail
Integrating EVs begins with seeing the big picture and offering benefits to drivers, passengers, vehicle makers, city managers, utilities, national governments and the population at large.
It is vital that charging systems don’t just fit into the urban fabric. They also have to tie into the Industrial Internet of Things with payments systems, monitoring of consumption and condition monitoring of charging stations.
Electric vehicles will have a significant impact on the grid as they change patterns of supply and demand. ABB is among the very few suppliers of electric vehicle charging infrastructure that has expertise in large-scale power transmission.
However, looking the other way, ABB has already established itself as a trusted partner to electric vehicle manufacturers — for example through the IONITY initiative in Switzerland, which has the objective of making long trips feasible for EVs. Under this joint venture, ABB has partnered with BMW Group, Daimler AG, Ford Motor Company and Audi and Porsche in the Volkswagen group to deploy a network of EV service stations across Europe.
By bridging the gap between electric vehicle manufacturers and grid operators, ABB can offer insight into consumption patterns and help future proof-grid infrastructure to meet EV demands long into the future.
Electric buses
In many ways, bus transport is more amenable to electrification than private cars. According to a report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, half of the world’s city bus fleet will run on electric power by 2025. Buses travel on known routes, where their power needs and energy consumption can be forecast and planned.
Many bus operators around the UK are conducting trials of all-electric or hybrid models. For example, ABB has partnered with Volvo on a national tour of a Volvo 7900e right-hand drive fully electric
bus together with a mobile version of an ABB OppCharge fast charger. The Volvo 7900e has up to 80 percent less energy consumption then an equivalent diesel bus. It has already shown its capabilities on passenger services in Manchester, Heathrow Airport and Kent.
The bus features a 79 kWh capacity battery, which is significantly smaller and lighter than the 360 kWh battery on board a conventional electric bus that has to be charged overnight at the depot. The charger can recharge a bus on its route between three to six minutes. As a result, the OppCharge system has potential to enable 24/7 bus operation for the first time.
Another solution for electric buses is the TOSA system that uses flash-charging technology to boost the onboard batteries while the vehicle is loading and unloading passengers at stops on the route.
The road ahead for electric vehicles
- A growing network of EV charging stations
- Increased viability of EVs for public transport and freight
- Faster charging times, bigger batteries and chargers with higher power ratings
- Easier payment and back-office systems for charger providers
- IoT-connected charging units for condition maintenance
