ABB supplies chargers for Norway’s largest electric bus fleet
The project for Trøndelag County Council is one of the first projects where fully electric buses of two different bus brands will run a large scale commercial operation using the same charging infrastructure. The HVC 450P chargers, will charge 25 Volvo 7900 Electric buses and 10 Heuliez GX 437 buses, demonstrating the need for interoperability and the strength of open interfaces. All the buses are fully electric and operated by Tide Buss in the city of Trondheim, Norway on behalf of Trøndelag County Council.
The charger provides 450 kW DC output power and can recharge a battery in three to six minutes. The chargers are compatible with OppCharge, an interoperable and open interface for DC electric bus charging that uses a pantograph mounted on the infrastructure. The contract is for a ten year period and will include connected services like remote management to ensure high uptime during operation through the ABB Ability cloud management system.
“Working with ABB has enabled 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 at 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 be fossil free by 2019.”
ABB opportunity chargers offer charging at the end of a bus route during layover time. The chargers will be installed at the endpoints of four bus routes that are being electrified, including some more remote locations served by the Trondheim bus route.
“With 35 vehicles Trondheim will have the largest electric bus fleet in Norway and this scheme is a great example of how ABB’s commitment to developing open technology means our products can support large scale, multi-supplier projects without the need for additional investment in infrastructure,” said Frank Mühlon, Head of ABB’s Global Business for Electric Vehicle Charging.
The chargers also allow for greater visibility and control of infrastructure networks, minimizing downtime and increasing efficiency. ABB Ability allows network operators to perform several functions, including the remote monitoring and configuration of charge points, the resolution of driver issues, the servicing of equipment with minimal downtime and the flexibility to connect to any charging network, back-office or energy management solution.
The new fully electric buses will be entirely emission-free and will run on four routes in Trondheim, covering distances of between 12 and 15 km each. The HVC 450P chargers will be delivered in February 2019 with operations due to start in August.
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