ABB wins world’s first commercial order for breakthrough 15-second flash charging technology

tosa-bus_ABBABB has been awarded orders totaling more than $16 million by Transports Publics Genevois (TPG), Geneva’s public transport operator, and Swiss bus manufacturer HESS, to provide flash charging and on-board electric vehicle technology for 12 TOSA (Trolleybus Optimisation Système Alimentation) fully electric buses (e-buses) which will run on Line 23, connecting Geneva’s airport with suburban Geneva.

tosa-bus_ABB_CO2The e-buses can help save as much as 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year, when compared with existing diesel buses. ABB will deliver and deploy 13 flash-charging stations along an urban transit bus route, as well as three terminal and four depot feeding stations.This will be the world’s fastest flash-charging connection technology taking less than 1 second to connect the bus to the charging point.
tosa-bus_ABB_traction_motorsThe onboard batteries can then be charged in 15 seconds with a 600-kilowatt boost of power at the bus stop. A further 4 to 5 minute charge at the terminus at the end of the line enables a full recharge of the batteries. The innovative technology was developed by ABB engineers in Switzerland. When fully commissioned in 2018, the high-capacity articulated buses will depart from both terminuses at 10-minute intervals during peak times. The line carries more than 10,000 passengers a day and the replacement of diesel buses by TOSA e-buses reduces noise as well as greenhouse gas emissions.
tosa-bus_ABB_genevaABB provides a range of technologies to support mobility applications such as railways, metros and electric buses and vehicles. ABB is celebrating 125 years of its legacy in Switzerland and has been actively involved in the transportation sector including rail. ABB technologies are helping to power and ventilate the recently commissioned 57 km Gotthard base tunnel through the Alps – the world’s longest railway tunnel.

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