ABB to supply chargers for Norway's electric bus project

ABB will supply fast chargers for an electric bus program in Norway.

It will help 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.

Per Olav Hopsø, head of the Transport Committee of the Trøndelag County Council, said: "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.

"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.