ABB to provide charging for Basel buses
In Switzerland, Industriellen Werke Basel (IWB) has placed a major order with ABB who is to supply both the necessary electrification and charging solutions for the conversion of the bus fleet to electric drives.
The Basel public transport provider, Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe (BV), aims to convert its entire bus fleet to electrically powered buses by 2027. In one of the largest infrastructure projects in Switzerland, the BVB is meeting the legal requirement that all public transport in the canton of Basel-Stadt must be powered 100 per cent by renewable energy by 2027. The public transport provider will undertake the procurement of the 120 vehicles in two stages, while IWB, which is responsible for the power supply, has awarded a major contract – to ABB.
According to the agreement, ABB will supply Basel buses with the necessary hardware for charging and grid connection as well as the software for managing the infrastructure. ABB will also provide service and maintenance of this equipment.
Initially, depot charging will take place overnight in two temporary facilities, after which the Rank depot will be equipped with charging stations. Although the Swiss-Swedish company did not elaborate further on what equipment is to be used here, in their announcement, ABB has published a rendering of a pantograph solution for depot charging. In addition, along longer bus routes, two terminal stops (at the EuroAirport and in Kleinhüningen) will initially receive 450 kW fast chargers.
“ABB convinced us with its significant expertise and experience. Even for us at IWB as experts in the field of e-mobility, such a major project does not happen every day. We are delighted to be working on this project together with ABB,” said Patrick Wellnitz, Senior Advisor Mobility at IWB.
“The technologies for the emission-free transport of the future already exist. Now it’s a matter of putting them to work,” says Frank Muehlon, president of ABB’s E-Mobility division. While his colleague Daniel Müller, Head of ABB’s Electrification Business Area in Switzerland added: “We are convinced that it will serve as a role model in the tri-border region of Switzerland-Germany-France and beyond, again demonstrating the opportunities and advantages of clean, quiet and flexible electric mobility.”
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