Zurich-based ABB, a Swiss-Swedish engineering company, announced Wednesday the installation of Terra HP 350 kilowatt (kW) chargers for electric vehicles at three Electrify America locations with further charging sites to follow in the year.
'Unveiled in Chicopee, Massachusetts as well as Fincastle and Reston, Virginia, ABB's Terra HP charging systems are now ready for use by drivers of all electric vehicle (EV) models available in the U.S.,' a press release said.
Launched in late April at Germany's Hannover Messe trade fair, the Terra HP, the first 350 kW product on the market, has a charging time of eight minutes for a range of 200 km (124 miles), and the capacity to charge electric vehicles up to 1,000 volts at full power.
'While not many EVs can charge at 350kW yet, these sites are future proof, serving both today's battery electric vehicles and those in the future that may benefit from improvements in battery technology,' the statement said, noting this would enable fast charging times for even the longest range EVs.
Frank Muehlon, head of ABB's Global Business for Electric Vehicle Charging, said the idea of putting 350kW of direct power into a consumer's hand was considered unheard of a few years back. 'Now we have created a new standard for high power charging with next generation vehicles.'
Muehlon said that growing battery sizes had increased demand for faster charging, making fast, convenient and flexible charging essential to EV ownership.
He recalled that ABB installed the first 150 kW charger in the U.S last year.
'With Electrify America's historic investment in U.S. charging infrastructure, we can now claim another first with the launch of 350kW high power public charging in the United States,' he said.
The statement noted that the need for a robust, higher power charging network would increase as demand for fast charging capability kept pace with the development of vehicles carrying larger batteries for longer distance travel.
'ABB is working hard with Electrify America to deploy stations like those in Chicopee and Fincastle throughout the United States,' added Muehlon.
Electrify America LLC, which is headquartered in Reston, Virginia, is investing $2 billion over the next ten years in Zero Emission Vehicle infrastructure, education and access, according to the statement.
As part of its investment, Electrify America plans to place chargers on its highway routes at intervals of no more than 120 miles (195 kilometers), meaning drivers across the U.S. can be confident they will be able to reach their destinations with ease, it added.
By Hale Turkes
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr