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

  • November 23, 2017
    ABB launches 450kW fast chargers for electric buses, Gothernburg
    ABB has launched a project with Volvo Buses, Västtrafik and Göteborg Energi (GE) to supply two of its 450kW Opportunity Charging systems to charge two high capacity electric-articulated Volvo buses in Gothenburg, Sweden. These fast chargers will be installed at Sahlgrenska University Hospital and Eriksberg Square, on line 16 of the City’s bus network. The order comes after a successful two-year trial under the ElectriCity venture, during which 10 all-electric or partially electrified buses have run on the
    Read More
  • March 15, 2016
    Open interface for electric bus charging
    While the European public transport community is preparing for electric buses and standardisation activities have already begun, with European standards expected to come into place 2019, followed by international standards in 2020, many cities are already implementing electric bus systems. In order to meet their needs, European bus manufacturers Irizar, Solaris, VDL and Volvo have agreed with charging system suppliers ABB, Heliox and Siemens to an open, transparent and voluntary approach. Common preferre
    Read More
  • June 3, 2013
    New technology can ‘charge a bus during fifteen-second stop’
    Swiss firm ABB has developed technology that it says can charge a full-sized electric bus during ordinary stops, removing the need for overhead lines in major cities. According to ABB, the bus can be charged with a fifteen-second, 400 kilowatt boost at selected stops, which allows for the vehicle to top off its charge while the passengers are loading or leaving the bus, and a three to four minute charge at the end of the bus line will then fully recharge the batteries.
    Read More
  • March 26, 2019
    Volvo to provide EV service at Birmingham airport
    Volvo Bus is to deliver six single-deck electric buses to serve as an environmentally-friendly transport service at Birmingham airport in the UK from October. Nick Barton, CEO at Birmingham Airport, says: “Since 2012 the Airport has reduced its CO2 by 20% per passenger. Implementing the six electric buses will work towards lowering our CO2 per passenger even further.” Volvo says its 7900e vehicles come with an electric motor and four high capacity 200 kWh Lithium-ion batteries, which means no tailpipe em
    Read More

Highlighted Content