Skip to main content

ABB fast charging technology to be implemented by UK bus company

Electric charging technology specialist ABB has won a contract to supply three HVC 300P electric bus charging stations for a fleet of Volvo electric buses that will be operated in Harrogate, UK by Transdev Blazefield from 2018. ABB will also supply an electricity substation for installation at a bus station serving the town. The project will use OppCharge for ‘opportunity charging’, where buses are charged while they wait at bus stops at the end of the line equipped with fast-charging infrastructure. The bu
April 25, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Electric charging technology specialist 4540 ABB has won a contract to supply three HVC 300P electric bus charging stations for a fleet of 609 Volvo electric buses that will be operated in Harrogate, UK by 8574 Transdev Blazefield from 2018. ABB will also supply an electricity substation for installation at a bus station serving the town.


The project will use OppCharge for ‘opportunity charging’, where buses are charged while they wait at bus stops at the end of the line equipped with fast-charging infrastructure. The buses will connect automatically to ABB’s HVC 300P chargers, which feature an overhead charging mast that charges via the buses’ on-board pantographs. An advantage is that the HVC 300P units are compatible with the OppCharge interface, so will be compatible with other brands and models of electric buses that use opportunity charging.

Charging will take only three to six minutes, eliminating the need to wait for long charging periods. The technology is the latest that Transdev Blazefield has introduced to reduce emissions and improve other aspects of bus travel. As well as enabling zero emission public transport, opportunity charging allows the size of batteries on board the electric buses to be reduced, reducing the overall weight of the buses and improving the energy efficiency of the bus network.

Related Content

  • Fortum to offer wireless charging for electric taxis in Oslo
    March 26, 2019
    Clean energy company Fortum is working with Momentum Dynamics and the City of Oslo to introduce wireless fast-charging infrastructure for electric taxis in the Norwegian capital. Fortum says the project is seeking to reduce the time it takes for drivers to find chargers, thereby reducing climate emissions from the taxi sector. The partners are aiming to install induction technology, with charging plates in the ground able to provide up to 75 kilowatts of power, the company adds. Annika Hoffner, head o
  • Siemens tests eHighway system
    August 7, 2014
    Siemens, in conjunction with Volvo, is to trial an eHighway system on a two-mile stretch of highway in California in the vicinity of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The company was awarded the contract by Southern California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) with the objectives of eliminating local emissions, reducing the consumption of fossil fuels and cutting the operating costs of trucks. The two ports are seeking an emission-free solution, Zero Emission I-710 Project, for a
  • Developments in travel information display systems
    August 1, 2012
    David Crawford looks at recent developments in travel information display systems. It is important to remember that we are investing in Real-Time Passenger Information [RTPI] to increase ridership," says Robert Burke, Managing Director of New Zealand transit tracking technology specialist Connexionz, which has been involved in at-stop and remote passenger information since 1995. "Superior information improves the perception of public transport reliability and gives the passenger more choices and greater con
  • Full analysis: Massive US EV infrastructure plan
    February 21, 2023
    The White House has announced a huge financial boost, new standards, and major progress for a made-in-America national network of EV chargers to support the future of US EV charging