ABB wins order for Norway’s largest electric bus project

ABB will supply fast chargers for a unique dual-manufacturer electric bus program, helping to make public transportation in Trondheim fossil-fuel-free in 2019.

The city of Trondheim, the former Viking capital of Norway, now better known today as the country’s technology capital, is making a big commitment to electric mass transportation. Local officials have agreed to deploy 35 fully electric buses, 25 from Volvo and 10 from Heuliez, operating on four routes to become the largest electric bus fleet in the country.

Both bus models will be charged by eight ABB Heavy Vehicle Chargers (HVCs), in one of the first projects worldwide where fully electric buses from different manufacturers use the same charging infrastructure. The buses will be operated by Tide Buss in Trondheim on behalf of the Trøndelag County Council.

"Working with ABB enables us to deliver a high quality and reliable solution, which allows operators from different networks to work simultaneously and share infrastructure," said Per Olav Hopsø, head of the Transport Committee of the Trøndelag County Council. "This not only provides good economies of scale and return on investment, but continues to support our forward-thinking approach in delivering first-rate modern infrastructure for our region. With the help of innovative companies such as ABB, public transport within the city of Trondheim will soon be fossil free.”

The ABB HVC 450P chargers to be used can recharge a battery in three to six minutes and can each provide 450 kW DC output power. The chargers utilize the OppCharge standard, using an overhead pantograph to connect the charger to conductive rails atop the bus. The chargers will be installed at the endpoints of four bus routes, each between 12 and 15 kilometers-long, including some remote locations. Buses will be recharged at the end of the routes during layover time. In a demonstration of the technology, ABB in the UK last September showcased an OppCharge charger working with a Volvo fully electric bus like the ones to be used in Trondheim.

"This is a great example of how ABB’s commitment to develop standards-based technology means our products can support large scale, multi-supplier projects," said Tarak Mehta, President ABB's Electrification Products Division. "We are proud to be working with Tide Buss to deliver a stronger EV infrastructure for the future of Trondheim. In general we see a tremendous demand for our market-leading EV-charging solutions."

The chargers, which are part of the ABB Ability™ portfolio of connected solutions, will allow operators to remotely monitor and configure charge points, and proactively maintain equipment to ensure maximum uptime.

The HVC 450P chargers will be delivered in February 2019 with operations due to start in August that year.

The Trondheim agreement is a continuation of ABB’s commitment to sustainable e-mobility. The company demonstrated its fast chargers by installing them in Davos, Switzerland in time for use during the World Economic Forum in January. And ABB has teamed up with Formula E, the world’s first fully electric international FIA motorsport series, as part of its continuous drive to promote clean-energy electric vehicles.

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 a history of innovation spanning more than 130 years, ABB today is writing the future of industrial digitalization with two clear value propositions: bringing electricity from any power plant to any plug and automating industries from natural resources to finished products. As title partner of Formula E, the fully electric international FIA motorsport class, ABB is pushing the boundaries of e-mobility to contribute to a sustainable future. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 135,000 employees. www.abb.com

Contact: Media Relations, media.relations@ch.abb.com, +41 43 317 71 11

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