Swiss electronics giant ABB is building a new global headquarters and R&D center that will focus on its EVSE products. The $10-million, 3,600-square-meter facility will be built on the TU Delft Campus in the Dutch city of Heertjeslaan, and is due for completion in June 2019.

The complex will house up to 120 people, and will be fitted with simulators designed to ensure that ABB chargers are compatible with all types of vehicle. ABB says it can conduct 95 percent of all necessary tests with a digital copy of vehicles loaded into the simulator. For extreme weather testing, which can’t be performed on the simulator, the facility will include environmental rooms in which EVSE systems can be subjected to a temperature range of -40 to +40 degrees C, as well as extremes of humidity.

The facility will also have testing areas large enough for an electric public transport bus to drive inside.

ABB plans to make the building itself 100 percent sustainable – a geothermal plant will provide heating and cooling, and rooftop house solar panels will provide power.

“The facility will allow us to increase the pace of product testing and development, ensuring we can deliver innovative products to market faster than ever,” said Frank Muehlon, Managing Director for ABB’s EV charging business. “The most important factor in driving technological advances is talent, and we couldn’t ask for a more inspiring location than on the TU Delft Campus, where we will be surrounded by the next generation of electrical and industrial engineers.”

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Source: ABB