ABB supporting e-mobility in the Eternal City

The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship heads to Rome’s EUR business district this weekend, for the third staging of the Rome E-Prix – which this year will be a double-header event. Both races will be held behind closed doors and follow strict COVID-19 protocols, created under guidance from the relevant authorities, to enable the event to take place in a safe and responsible manner.

With a revised 19-turn, 3.385 km layout, the new track has longer straights, sweeping corners and changes in elevation. This fast layout creates the second longest circuit on the calendar, a combination which is sure to push the drivers, cars and teams to the limit.

Theodor Swedjemark, Chief Communications & Sustainability Officer, said: “At ABB, our leading technologies play a key role in enabling sustainable mobility in all forms of public and private transport that ultimately support a low-carbon society. Through the ABB Formula E partnership, we can not only revolutionize the technology needed to drive e-mobility but also excite younger generations, who live in a digital world and care for the environment.”

Gianluca Lilli, Chairman and MD of ABB Italy, added: “To further reinforce our commitment to driving e-mobility progress forward in Italy, and to coincide with the return of the championship to a country so linked to our own e-mobility development, ABB will be donating Terra 124 chargers to the city of Rome.”

These DC fast chargers are capable of charging two vehicles simultaneously and are fully compatible with current and future EVs.

For ABB, Italy is a showcase location for the championship, as it is here that its industry-leading Terra series of EV chargers and E-bus chargers are manufactured.

While production is at full speed at the Terranuova Bracciolini charger manufacturing facility in Tuscany, construction is currently under way for a new ABB facility in San Giovanni Valdarno, which will serve as a global Center of Excellence and production site for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

The 16,000 square-meter facility is expected to be operational by the end of 2021 and will produce ABB’s full portfolio of direct current (DC) electric vehicle battery chargers – from domestic units to systems for installation in public areas and those dedicated to urban public transport. This new state-of-the-art manufacturing base will help to further support ABB’s growth and innovation in the e-mobility sector.

Another example of ABB’s role in progressing e-mobility in Italy is the turnkey solution supplied to Azienda Trasporti Milanesi (ATM), the Milan public transport service company, which is committed to the transition of its entire fleet into electric by 2030. ABB solutions, including the installation of 15 Terra 124 chargers at ATM’s San Donato depot, enable e-buses to remain in use without the need for interim charging during the day. ATM estimates that, when fully implemented, conversion of its buses will slash its demand for diesel fuel by 30 million liters per year and cut CO2 emissions by 75 thousand tons per year.
Headquartered in Sesto San Giovanni, and with manufacturing facilities in nine locations throughout the country, ABB Italy employs around 4,800 people. ABB Italy’s industry-leading work in the fields of digitalization and automation has led to recognition for the company as a “Lighthouse Plant” under the Italian government’s Transition 4.0initiative.

ABB is the title partner in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, an international racing series for fully electric single-seater racecars. Its technology supports the events at city-street tracks around the globe. ABB entered the e-mobility market back in 2010, and today has sold more than 400,000 electric vehicle chargers across more than 85 markets; more than 20,000 DC fast chargers and 380,000 AC chargers, including those sold through Chargedot.

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 105,000 talented employees in over 100 countries. www.abb.com

2021 ABB FIA Formula E Championship – Calendar (races confirmed to date)