ABB’s New Heavy Vehicle Charging Bus Depot

A new Heavy Vehicle Charger product line for bus depots was recently unveiled by ABB at Busworld 2017. The product line — dubbed HVC-Overnight Charging — was designed to allow for the easy and cost-effective charging of plug-in electric bus fleets overnight, according to the company.

To accomplish this design aim, the product incorporates various “smart charging” features and utilizes a modular design that can be scaled up easily. Remote service and data management accompany these design elements.

“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,” ABB writes.

“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.”

The base rate of the charging station is 50 kW, but it can be expanded to 100 kW or 150 kW. The new electric bus chargers come equipped with a wide range of connectivity features, including remote management, remote monitoring, remote diagnostics, and over-the-air software updates.

Regarding other ABB electric bus charging options you may have heard of, note that this is unique. The other charging options were also at Busworld 2017, though. On that:

“Also being 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 stand will be 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.”