Värnamo selects fast charger from ABB

2017-01-26 - ABB has received an order for a fast charger for buses from Värnamo Municipality through the municipality’s subsidiary Värnamo Elnät. This is ABB’s first order in Sweden for a charger for electric buses. Värnamo is the first in Sweden to invest in all public transit being made up of electrified buses in the urban area. Start-up is planned for autumn 2017.

“We are very pleased to be able to contribute to sustainable and cost-efficient mass transit solutions, while at the same time satisfying the need for quiet and clean traffic in the cities. Reducing expense and risk during the transition to electric vehicles is something we want to offer the market and society,” says Henrik Holmér who is the sales manager responsible for charging stations in Sweden. The order comprises a complete charging system with pantograph technology at the terminal stations, OppCharge (opportunity charging), which is an open interface for automated charging of electric buses.

Värnamo Municipality and Jönköpings Länstrafik aim to quadruple the number of public transit journeys during a three-year period, and four plug-in hybrid buses have been ordered from Volvo. It takes three to four minutes to charge the batteries at the charging station with technology based on the OppCharge open interface. OppCharge allows charging stations and electrified buses from different manufacturers to be used together.
“With this investment, Värnamo Municipality is contributing to the electrification of urban traffic, which promotes attractive public transit and a better urban environment with less noise and improved air quality. At the same time, the frequency of bus services will increase and availability will improve through, for example, an entirely new busway,” says Stina Gof, who is head of strategic development in Värnamo Municipality.

Since 2010, ABB has sold approximately 5,000 fast chargers around the world for passenger cars. Utilization of technology that comprises cloud-based remote monitoring and control as well as program upgrades via Internet guarantees quick response times and a high degree of availability.

    Facts
    ABB charging station, which adheres to the OppCharge (opportunity charging) standard
      • Open interface between the charging station and the vehicle.
      • Modular system that can satisfy charging output of 150, 300 or 450 kW.
      • An inverted pantograph enables utilization of a cost-efficient and low-weight solution on the roof of the bus.
      • Conductive charging with the pantograph, where communication between the bus and the charging station takes place via Wi-Fi.
    Volvo 7900 Electric Hybrid
      • Operated with electricity on approximately 70% of the route.
      • Quiet and free of emissions during electric power operation.
      • 60% lower energy consumption compared with a corresponding diesel-operated bus.
      • 75–90% lower carbon dioxide emissions1, depending on the fuel selection.
      • Equipped with an electric motor, batteries and a small diesel engine.
      • The batteries are quickly charged in 3–4 minutes at the terminal stations.
      (1) Estimated value for a city bus route consisting of 10 kilometers, compared with a diesel-operated bus (Euro 6).
      About ABB:

      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 135,000 employees. www.abb.com

      For more information, please contact:

      ABB Sweden
      Christine Gunnarsson, Chief Press Officer
      Phone +46 21-32 32 32
      press@se.abb.com      		ABB AB, Swedish Sales
      Henrik Holmér, Sales Manager
      Phone +46 11-21 35 09
      henrik.holmer@se.abb.com