No More Anxiety: The Latest Generation EV Charging Infrastructure From ABB
Nov 3, 2022
Smarter, more powerful and, crucially, faster electric vehicle charging infrastructure is on its way to New Zealand, thanks to ABB’s new 360kW charger.
Remember the phrase “range anxiety”? It was arguably the biggest stumbling block that early adopters of electric vehicle faced. But with every new advancement in energy density, the fear of potentially running out of energy mid-journey has subsided.
Now, as more and more EVs test our national public charging infrastructure, “queue anxiety” is the challenge.
A handful of 300kW chargers aside, early generation 25-50kW charging infrastructure served the needs of the early adopter EV market. But ultimately that infrastructure needs to migrate to solutions capable of charging more cars, faster. EV charging technology leader, ABB, is about to launch a new product in New Zealand that addresses this issue.
ABB’s new Terra 360 is a modular charger with a huge 360kW output: the highest in the country currently. This makes the Terra 360 capable of charging up to four vehicles simultaneously with dynamic power distribution, meaning that drivers won’t have to wait if someone else is already charging ahead of them. They simply pull up to another plug.
For context, 360kW will make the majority of New Zealand’s public chargers look old fashioned.
One hundred kilometres of range can be added in less than three minutes. Virtually any EV can be fully charged in 15 minutes or less, meeting the needs of a variety of EV drivers, whether they need a fast charge or to top their battery up while shopping.
Dependable and convenient charging infrastructure is a vital next step in mainstream electric vehicle adoption, says ABB New Zealand’s e-Mobility Product Marketing Manager, Debbie Van Der Schyff.
“With governments around the world, including our own, writing public policy that favours electric vehicles and charging networks to combat climate change, the demand for EV charging infrastructure, especially charging stations that are fast, convenient and easy to operate is higher than ever,” says Debbie. “With charging options that fit a variety of needs, the Terra 360 is the key to fulfilling that demand and accelerating e-mobility adoption in New Zealand and globally.”
The Terra 360 is designed with the daily needs and expectations of EV drivers in mind.
Leveraging the rich field experience gained by ABB E-mobility’s large installed base, the Terra 360 delivers speed and convenience along with comfort, ease-of-use and a sense of familiarity. Its innovative lighting system guides the user through the charging process and shows the State of Charge (SoC) of the EV battery and the residual time before the end of an optimal charge session.
The world’s fastest EV charger is also wheelchair accessible and features an ergonomic cable management system that helps drivers plug in quickly with minimal effort.
As well as serving the needs of private EV drivers at fuelling stations, convenience stores and retail locations, Terra 360 chargers can also be installed on an organisation’s commercial premises to optimise charging of electric fleet cars, vans and trucks. This gives fleet owners the flexibility to charge up to four vehicles overnight, or to enable a quick ‘refill’ to their EVs during the working day. Because Terra 360 chargers have a small footprint, they can be installed in small depots or parking lots where space is at a premium.
Terra 360 chargers are also fully customisable. To personalise their appearance, customers can ‘brand’ the chargers by using different foiling or changing the colour of the LED light strips. There is also the option to include an integrated 27” advertisement screen to play video and pictures.
ABB entered the e-mobility market in 2010, and today has sold more than 460,000 electric vehicle chargers across more than 88 markets: over 21,000 DC fast chargers and 440,000 AC chargers.