“ABB is a world leader in fast charging solutions…”

ABB has installed more than 14,000 DC fast chargers in over 80 countries. Also, the company has several pioneering EV fast charging projects to its credit, in India. In an exclusive e-interview with P. K. Chatterjee, C. P. Vyas, President - Electrification Business, ABB India, describes his company’s contributions to the deployment of Electric Vehicles in India. Excerpts...

Please tell us about the value add for EV charging with ABB products.

ABB has been in the EV charging business since 2010, right when electric vehicles were accepted commercially. At that time, people couldn’t imagine charging a commercial bus in 6 minutes, let alone driving an EV for 200 km without charging. Over the last decade, we have consistently invested in delivering power for the transportation of tomorrow, bringing the digital and physical worlds together. We are now the partner of choice for the world’s biggest electric vehicle OEMs and nationwide EV charging network operators. We are committed to pushing the boundaries of technology to achieve a sustainable future and  we have made it our mission to deliver value chain solutions from sub-station to EV charging socket.

We are the global market leader in DC charging with 99.6% uptime. Furthermore, in our drive to enhance the EV charging ecosystem, we became the first company to deliver a high-power charging system, the Terra HP,  which can deliver up to 200km of range in as little as 8 mins. We launched the Terra HP in India at the MOVE Summit in 2018. ABB has focused on making its EV solutions universally acceptable to keep up with future demand and has also installed new smart charging features like dynamic load management to prevent electric fuse blow off and enable customers to maximise charging power and cost efficiency.

In July, we also installed the first public DC fast charger in Delhi in association with EV Motors India for BYPL. The Terra54 is a cloud-connected charger that is linked through Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) 1.6 to EV Motors’ backend office and will allow passengers to charge their cars in about 40-50 minutes from 0 to 80%. ABB’s fast chargers come with ABB Ability™, a digital web enabled offering that measures 400 parameter and allows network operators to keep a check on charger’s performance and fix issues remotely with minimal downtime.

Kindly elaborate on some of ABB’s most significant EV Charging projects in India?

We installed our first fast charging solution – ABB Terra 53 fast charging station for electric vehicles – at Niti Ayog’s headquarters in the heart of New Delhi in 2018. ABB also supported the Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s vision for a green city with clean and affordable energy and installed five EV fast chargers in the city. In July this year, we launched the first public DC fast charger in Delhi in association with EV Motors India for BYPL. On World EV Day, 9th September, which was instituted by ABB in partnership with Green.TV and other partners, we announced charging stations across Ludhiana for the hospitality sector with AAR Power Solutions with their brand AAR GO EV Smart, Chennai for the busy market of T Nagar with Saravanaa Aircon MEP and their brand Simplycharge, and in the textile hub of Tirupur with Zeon International

What is the market response in India towards EV Charging infrastructure? Have you collected any feedback from the users of ABB’s EV Chargers?

ABB is a world leader in fast charging solutions with more than 14,000 DC fast chargers sold in over 80 countries and is the title sponsor of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship. We are a global technology leader in charging technology with a firm vision to deliver a reliable and robust infrastructure with a strong and enhanced grid and renewable integration. We are supporting industry needs by creating products that achieve multiple standards in a single solution.

India predominantly has been an ICE vehicle market. Over the last decade, we have seen a rise in EV innovation with the automobile industry slowly shifting towards EVs and manufacturing EVs. To help grow the e-mobility ecosystem in India we also need a well-established EV charging ecosystem.  We strongly believe that collaborating with key stakeholders in the industry will help facilitate adoption of fast chargers in India and build an EV charging ecosystem. ABB has tied up with local partners to set up charging stations in hospitality segment, real estate segment and public charging stations across Chennai, Coimbatore, Ludhiana, Delhi, Nagpur with more to come.

ABB India has been collaborating with key industry stakeholders ever since we moved into the space, including government think tanks, innovative start-ups and electric vehicle OEMs to further encourage the adoption of EVs as well as support creativity and entrepreneurship in the space. We have also invested in an EV technology start-up NumoCity which is complementary to ABB’s wide portfolio in e-mobility.

Some of the great feedback we have received from our customers includes:

Hyundai Kona’s customer who used the Terra54 50Kw charger in Delhi and had a wonderful and smooth charging experience, specifically pointing out the charger’s HMI, which was very informative and that the charging process was quick, especially compared to home charging.

TATA Nexon’s customer used ABB’s Terra AC Wallbox charger in Ludhiana, and was able to quickly get accustomed with ABB’s Chargesync app, with particular appreciation for  the level of information available on the app.

How do you ascertain the safety of using ABB chargers?

ABB provides globally consistent product quality and design, which meet international standards and legislation. The products are CE certified by a third party, making our products universally applicable and safe to use. Another value addition is the EMC Class B certification, which makes our chargers safe to use at residential areas.

Would you like to highlight any other important area?

ABB’s partnership with Formula E, which began in January 2018, is an opportunity for technological development and represents ABB and Formula E’s shared vision for the future of a cleaner, more sustainable world for all. It brings together the global leader in electric vehicle fast charging with the world’s first fully electric international motorsport class, which is also the fastest-growing series in motorsport.

The ABB FIA Formula E Championship is a natural fit for ABB, at the forefront of the latest electrification and digital technologies. It provides ABB with a unique opportunity to engage with customers around the world while bringing more of our technology to this global platform as we seek to push the boundaries to take performance to new levels, drive progress and help build a more sustainable future.

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