Fast charging the future of urban mobility

Visitors at one of the world’s premier auto shows get a hands-on preview of the future of mobility – and the technology that is already making it a reality.

BMW premiered its new i3 electric car at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt recently. It also made 25 of the i3s available as shuttle cars to IAA visitors, many of whom were trying their first electric vehicle.

But this group of first-timers will not stay small for long. Chancellor Angela Merkel opened the IAA by sharing the government’s plans to have one million e-cars on Germany’s roads by the end of this decade. And, according to the German automobile manufacture’s organization, German car makers alone have announced 16 new electric vehicles launches in the next few years.

Charging is one of the most important considerations in purchasing an electric car – how available are charging stations where people live, work and travel? How convenient and fast is the charging?

ABB helped to keep the i3s available throughout the event with its innovative Terra 53 fast charging stations, which are helping to answer some of the these questions for potential e-car buyers.

People can now take advantage of fast-charging DC technology to fill their cars in as little as 15 minutes, which means it’s convenient to charge the vehicle while out traveling instead of waiting 6-8 hours for an overnight charge at home. This also extends the range of the vehicle, making e-cars practical for longer trips.

The Terra 53 includes advanced software that adapts the charger to the grid capacity. This helps keep power grids stable without the need of large infrastructure investments to accommodate demand surges – for example if many households all charge their car at the end of the day.

Consumers also want to purchase their vehicle charging with the same convenience as saying “fill it up!” at a traditional gas station. ABB fast chargers are also connected to the web so people have easy-to-use payment options that are reliable, secure and work with industry-standard systems.

Watch the BMW i3 in action at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt

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About the author

Philip Lewin

I'm one of the many people sharing ABB's passion and great stories for robotics and industrial ingenu-ity. It’s exciting for me to be at the leading edge of a new age for one of the most fundamental things that people do - we make things. At the same time, the awareness has never been greater that economic progress, higher living standards and new ways of making things cannot come at the expense of our environment. I’m proud to contribute to this exciting and important discussion.
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