This weekend’s all-electric ABB Formula E Berlin E-Prix race will bring to the German capital a display of e-mobility technology that underlines ABB’s long-standing role as a driving partner in the country’s sustainability goals. ABB has written a rich history in Germany, dating back to 1900, when the company’s forerunner, the Brown Boveri Company, established German operations in Mannheim – where ABB Germany is headquartered today.
In that time ABB has evolved to become one of Germany’s leading technology companies, with 10,500 employees active in 35 locations across sectors including electrification products, robotics and drives, industrial automation and power grids.
In a country renowned for automotive industry prowess, ABB is already playing a leading role in the pivot to e-mobility that all of Germany’s major automakers are embracing, encouraged both by global environmental concerns and national policy.
Germany’s government is aiming for a 55 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, compared to 1990 levels, by which time up to eight million electric vehicles (EVs) should be on German roads. The government target of banning the sale of combustion-engine cars outright is targeted by 2050.
All of these EVs will need a charging infrastructure and ABB, as the global leader in fast-charging technology – with more than 10,500 units sold in 73 countries – is ideally placed to contribute to the accelerating EV transition, working with numerous operators throughout the country to install Terra HP chargers ideally suited for use at highway rest stops and petrol stations.
“The widespread availability of reliable and high-performing charging infrastructure is key in supporting countries across the globe to meet ambitious emission reduction targets,” says Frank Duggan, ABB’s Europe region President. “Germany and its auto industry are trail-blazers for EVs and the fast-charging market, so we are proud to be driving further progress on the road to zero-emission transport in Germany and beyond.”
The development of electric bus infrastructure is rapidly progressing in Germany, too. Only weeks ago transport company Hamburger Hochbahn AG placed an order with ABB for the delivery of 44 charging systems for electric buses at Germany’s first electric bus charging depot, in Hamburg.
ABB is simultaneously helping transform the future of Germany’s digital, connected industries – its involvement in the Lüdenscheid ‘Mission to Zero’ sustainably powered factory project being a prime example.
At the site of its subsidiary Busch-Jaeger in northern Germany, ABB earlier this month presented its first CO2-neutral and energy self-sufficient production site. The ABB solar power plant commissioned at the Lüdenscheid facility will generate enough power on sunny days to cover all of the factories’ power requirements and save about 630 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year.
The digital solution OPTIMAX®, a scalable energy management system from the ABB AbilityTM Energy Management Suite, enables constant surveillance and optimum control of energy production, consumption and storage.
“With this state-of-the-art site, we demonstrate the advantages of creating a system in which all components are digitally networked and controllable. This intelligent ecosystem enhances energy efficiency, sustainability and resource conservation, enabling a genuine zero-emission future for industry and beyond,” says Tarak Mehta, President of Electrification at ABB.
