ABB Opens Swiss Lithium Battery Factory for Heavy-Duty Applications

ABB has inaugurated a lithium battery factory for energy storage systems used in railways, electric buses and electric trucks in the Swiss city of Baden. The new plant will assemble standardized battery modules from battery cells.

According to Robert Itschner, CEO and Local Business Manager of the Motion business of ABB Switzerland, the geographical advantage is the main reason for the company to set up a factory in Baden. As the company’s traction converter center of excellence and corporate research center are located around Baden, there is a great significance of the layout to develop the battery system integration.

It is reported that the plant aims at domestic cities with trolleybuses such as Swiss Zurich, Lausanne, and Fribourg, and plans to expand the business to the world in the future. Besides trolleybuses, the company is also targeting the market for train energy storage systems.

According to the data, most European countries are using non-electrified railway lines on a large scale, and the resulting serious air pollution. To this end, the company explained that if the non-electrified railway line is replaced by an integrated lithium energy storage system, which the converse the diesel train group to the diesel hybrid train group, it can reduce CO2 emissions by 30% to a certain extent.

In the production plant in Baden of Swiss city, the company will assemble the battery cells into standardized battery modules and then combine them into lithium energy storage systems for specific application configurations. Also, two robots are scheduled to do most of the work: one robot places the battery in the module housing and the other connects them by laser welding.

Actually, the company entered the power battery field as early as 2010 and has provided years of complete charging solutions for electric vehicles and heavy-duty vehicles.

It is understood that in 2011, ABB acquired Epyon, which focuses on DC fast-charging stations and networked charging software business. In 2013, Estonia became the first country in the world to officially launch a national electric vehicle charging network. In 2015, the company cooperated with Microsoft a co-launched a new fast-charging service platform for electric vehicles around the world.

Facing the rapid development of the Chinese electric vehicle market, ABB is also constantly strengthening its business with China. The company has provided efficient and reliable DC charging equipment for electric vehicle manufacturers for NIO and DENZA and so on. Lately, the company also provided several Terra 63Z DC fast charging piles to the Chinese first electric vehicle DC fast charging demonstration station established by BP and 66iFuel.

According to industry data, the company has installed 10,500 fast-charging piles in 73 countries around the world, and the number of electric vehicle quick-charge facilities is ranked first in the world. All products utilize lithium technology with a view to high energy and power density, the swiss corporation ABB adds in its communication. The transport business also builds on the company’s experience in energy storage systems.

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