Power and automation giant ABB is supplying fast chargers to MAN Truck & Bus for its new e-bus R&D program.

Volkswagen subsidiary MAN, one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of heavy commercial vehicles, has announced that it will begin pilots of e-buses in 2018, and begin serial production by 2019. The company is developing e-buses at its R&D facilities in Munich, using a test bench equipped with different charging technologies from ABB.

For depot charging tests – to be used at a terminus where a bus has a longer stop – MAN will use an ABB fast charger with a CCS2 connector. For opportunity charging tests, ABB will supply a charge pole with inverted pantograph, which connects to a contact on the roof of the bus.

The fast charging solutions are based on the international IEC 61851-23 standard.

Both ABB and MAN are partners in the European e-bus charging system initiative, which promotes international standardization of fast charging for electric buses.

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Source: ABB