Swiss electric utilities Primeo Energie and Alpiq E-Mobility have opened a pair of highway charging stations in Switzerland that feature battery energy storage and an energy management solution from ABB.

Switzerland’s Federal Roads Office hopes to install chargers at approximately 100 motorway rest areas over the next few years. Many of these locations have little or no power supply, and as they may be served by different utilities, each can have its own specific cost structures and peak demand charges.

ABB’s “end-to-end solution” is designed to help operators manage costs in real time with intelligent energy management.

Each of the two new charging sites, which are located on the A2 motorway at the Inseli and Chilchbuehl rest stops, is equipped with an ABB Terra 54 charger, which provides one 50 kW DC fast charging point and one Level 2 charging point, as well as a 350 kW Terra DC fast charger with two additional charging points. ABB says dynamic power sharing between the charging posts will enable them to charge higher-power vehicles such as trucks or buses.

ABB also provided a 170 kWh battery energy storage system with power output of 330 kW to help reduce operating costs through peak shaving and to enhance system availability and reliability. Energy management is facilitated by ABB’s cloud-based Ability Optimax system. Thanks to the combination of storage and energy management, the local supply network does not have to directly cover the peak load during charging, which significantly reduces costs.  

“ABB’s complete solution helps shave peaks in demand and reduces the associated higher tariffs they incur, optimizing operating costs and maximizing return on investment,” said ABB’s Frank Muehlon. “For energy suppliers entering the e-mobility sector, ABB chargers provide all the flexibility, connectivity and features needed to enable such new business models to succeed.”

Primeo Energie plans to deploy three more similarly-equipped highway charging stations in 2020. 

Source: ABB