ABC #396

NEWS
FIRST MASS USE OF NEW
E-BUS CHARGING TECH
FOLLOWING Japanese technology
giant Hitachi’s acquisition of
European vehicle-charging specialist
ABB on July 1, a newly formed
company called Hitachi ABB Power
Grids looks set to have Brisbane
feature its latest “game-changing”
Grid-eMotion Fleet EV charging
system for first mass use anywhere,
the company confirms.
Designed for large scale e-Mobility,
Grid-eMotion Fleet is a full
‘grid-to-plug’ solution for large-scale
public transport and commercial
fleets, enabling operators to ‘charge
more with less’, Hitachi ABB states.
As first reported by www.busnews.
com.au two years ago, Brisbane
City Council’s Registration of
Interest announcement for the new
Brisbane Metro bus project was
always intended to attract some
of the most advanced technology
and designs to form its envisaged
next-gen bus transport system.
With confirmation in late
November 2019, it was spearheaded
by a Hess-Volgren-ABB winning
bid, and an eventually successful
18 months of ABB and Hitachi JV
negotiations sees the latter now
with an 80.1 per cent investment in
ABB’s Power Grids business.
Under the leadership of Claudio
Facchin as CEO and Toshikazu
Nishino as executive vice president
and chairman, Hitachi ABB Power
Grids will expand Hitachi’s energy
solutions business globally as a
core part of the company’s Social
Innovation Business, it states.
As a step-change approach for
public transport and commercial
operators, Grid-eMotion Fleet
‘smart mobility’ solution enables
operators to efficiently scale up
their operations and is expected to
contribute to sustainable society for
millions living in urban areas, the
company explains.
HOW IT WORKS
This compact design clusters the
entire e-mesh PowerStore charging
system in one location, which eases
maintenance and saves space at
parking slots, Hitachi ABB describes.
It requires a significantly shorter
installation period compared to
traditional installations, it adds. In
addition, the thermally insulated
enclosures are modular and
Above and
Below:
This compact
design clusters
the entire e-mesh
PowerStore
charging system
in one location,
which eases
maintenance
and saves space
at parking slots,
Hitachi ABB
describes.
therefore available in a range of
ratings, capacities and layouts to
comply with bespoke customer
requirements and industry
standards, it says.
As Hitachi ABB explains, the
solution comes in standard
containers that integrate the grid
connection and charging systems
all together.
Grid-eMotion Fleet uses DC
technology and can connect to any
type of power network, removing
the complexities of integrating
AC-DC chargers into a system, it
says. Compared to a conventional
connection to the AC grid, the
pioneering solution brings a 60 per
cent reduction in space required
for large-scale EV fleet charging,
whilst the depot cabling is reduced
by 40 per cent, it confirms. The
fast-to-install solution harnesses
renewable energy through grid
integration, smart mobility, digital
energy management system and
incorporates insights from data
analytics, it states.
Grid-eMotion Fleet leverages
Hitachi ABB Power Grids’ smart
energy management solution
e-mesh EMS to manage and
enhance the complete charging
infrastructure, calculate bus energy
consumption and devise, plan
and deliver effective services for
passengers, it explains.
Digital analysis monitors the
battery life data, route data, traffic
simulation and depot control to
ensure that efficient power use,
energy storage and overnight
charging is optimised, it adds.
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ABC August 2020 busnews.com.au