In the metropolises worldwide, the electrification of both private and public transport has gained serious momentum. Electric vehicles, buses, and a constantly increasing number of trucks will become an everyday thing on the Serbian streets in the not-so-distant future. General awareness of the benefits of this type of transport – the fact that these vehicles do not locally emit harmful gases and are cheaper to maintain than vehicles with internal combustion engines is peaking up.
Many countries are working intensively to encourage the purchase of electric vehicles providing various types of support. Serbia is making progress in this segment and has been subsidizing the purchase of these vehicles for the third year in a row. Of course, the increasingly rapid development of electromobility necessarily follows the development of the charger network, which is an absolute must for electric cars to be equal participants in everyday traffic. ABB is a global leader in the production of electric chargers, with the largest installed base of stations for fast charging of electric vehicles worldwide.
Mr Dejan Dešić, Transportation & Infrastructure Segment Manager at ABB, was our host kind to share a variety of information about the fastest charger in the world, Terra 360, electric chargers, electric formula, and plans for the future.
In focus:
EP: How fast is the development pace of electric charger production technology?
Dejan Dešić: ABB has made a giant leap forward in the production of electric chargers, which is also shown by our timeline. It all started in 2010 when ABB introduced its first TERA 50 KW charger, at a time when the first charging connector standard, CHAdeMO, was established. The first cars were produced that could be charged with fast chargers back then. Then, in 2012, the CCS standard was established, which is still the most common today because it can transmit large powers, more precisely – twice as much as the CHAdeMO standard. All ABB chargers can use dual-standard connectors. In 2012-2013. ABB equipped motorways in the Netherlands and Estonia with TERA 51 and TERA 53 chargers, both 50 KW. After 2014, intensive development of the charger network began in the USA, Asia, and Europe, where the entire ABB offer has been implemented.
A piece of particularly interesting news from the ABB’s world came in 2017 when 150 or 350 kW chargers were launched, and both chargers were modular and expandable. It specifically means that by adding one power supply cabinet, one can increase the charger’s power to 350 KW. With the development of chargers, we simultaneously monitor the development of energy needs of electric buses and trucks, and ABB works on creating a portfolio of chargers for both types of vehicles. Electric buses are widely present on the roads, and fast high-power chargers are available at charging stations. On the other hand, some chargers are placed inside bus depots, where vehicles are charged during the night, so those do not need to be high power.
The latest series of 50 KW chargers came in 2018. Their main feature is the possibility of charging the car at a much higher voltage (up to 920 V), which is the voltage needed to charge the most advanced premium models containing a high-power battery. In 2019, ABB launched a compact 24 kW fast charger, which can be easily installed on the wall. The series of slow chargers was launched in 2020, which means that ABB has completed the portfolio of its products, and it can be said that at this moment, it represents the most comprehensive offer on the global market. Thirty thousand fast chargers and hundreds of thousands of slow chargers have been sold (and that number is increasing every day), proves ABB as the absolute leader on the global market.
EP: Ending 2021, ABB launched the fastest charger globally, the Terra 360. What can you tell us about it? Where can we find it presently and what are the plans, and the installation dynamics around the world? When can we expect it in Serbia?
Dejan Dešić: ABB’s fastest charger Terra 360, which was introduced at the end of 2021, will soon be promoted in Serbia. Its sales in Serbia will begin in the second half of the year. The first Terra 360 charger was installed and commissioned in Norway. Even though Norway is an oil-rich country, it is making the fastest progress in electrifying its road network and fleet. This, currently the fastest and most powerful charger in the world, allows you to charge the battery to cover 100 km in three minutes of charging.
It is designed so that it can charge four cars at the same time, which is a great advantage for both the charger operators and the users. The algorithm is set, if one car is charged, to deliver 360 kW of power, which at the moment can be received by premium cars only. Should two, three or four vehicles charge simultaneously, the charger can automatically redirect power to 180 or 90 kW (2 cars to 180 kW, three to 120 kW, four to 90 kW or one to 360 kW). There are different cable length options, which can be either liquid-cooled or air-cooled, which is necessary due to the large power transmitted.
EP: Project documentation for all smart buildings must include electric chargers. What is the situation in Serbia in this respect?
Dejan Dešić: All modern buildings must meet project requirements that cover the installation of slow chargers to obtain certificates related to energy and environmental efficiency. More specifically, the projects that are being built now envisage EV chargers in at least five or ten parking spaces. We are witnessing, and it needs to be pointed out, that the installations are designed only for the number of chargers envisaged by the project documentation. Still, in a few years’ time, most tenants will drive electric cars that need a place with an electric charger, but the installations will need to be redone so that everyone can plug in and charge the battery of their EV.
We already have a case where the tenants of a residential complex immediately after moving in realized that a small number of parking spaces had a charger. They demanded that everyone be allowed to install an electric charger. This, of course, meant changes to the project, including the works on the grid and the new power substation. That is why I appeal to the designers to anticipate what will be taken for granted in a few years. ABB chargers can be seen in public places, at car dealerships who are obliged to have EV chargers on their property, and at gas stations. Public company Roads of Serbia have already installed our chargers. Courier services are slowly switching to this type of transport and have chargers within their infrastructure. ABB chargers may be seen installed in shopping malls new residential and commercial buildings and are widely available to all customers.
Interviewed by: Milica Radičević
Read the story in the new issue of the Energy portal Magazine ELECTROMOBILITY.
