ABB, a Swiss power and automation technology group, has secured a contract from MAN Truck & Bus to supply fast chargers for depot and opportunity charging of electric buses, for its new e-bus research and development facilities in Munich, Germany.

MAN Truck & Bus is a European manufacturer of commercial vehicles and supplier of transport solutions.

ABB Power Conversion business unit managing director Robert Itschner said: “Energy efficient and sustainable transportation is a key focus area of ABB’s Next Level strategy and we are committed to further advance e-mobility.

“ABB offers different technologies and solutions for electric vehicle charging and we are very pleased that MAN Truck & Bus chose our fast chargers for its test facilities.”

This July, MAN Truck & Bus revealed its plans about the serial production of fully electric buses by 2019. Pilots of the e-buses are expected to go into operation in 2018.

Using a test bench equipped with different charging technologies from ABB, the new electric buses are developed at MAN’s resaerch and development facilities located in Munich.

MAN will use an ABB fast charger with a CCS2 connector for the depot charging test, where the buses will halt for a longer time period.

ABB has designed and developed the CCS2 connector based on the guidelines developed by the EU for electric vehicle charging. The company said that it is the same connector that is used for electric cars.

The Swiss firm will supply a charge pole with inverted pantograph for opportunity charging tests.

The opportunity fast charging system, with its automated rooftop connection and a typical charge time of three to six minutes, allows charging at end stops and can easily be integrated in existing bus routes.

"Energy efficient and sustainable transportation is a key focus area of ABB’s Next Level strategy and we are committed to further advance e-mobility."

These solutions are based on IEC 61851-23, the international standard for fast charging electric vehicles.

Both ABB and MAN Truck & Bus are project partners in the European e-bus charging system (eBusCS) initiative.

It promotes international standardisation of charging processes for electric buses to facilitate the introduction of electric bus systems in European cities.

Image: A bus. Photo: courtesy of ABB.