ABB has recently been awarded a contract for the supply and installation of an electric vehicle (EV) charging solution for the Australian Energy Research Institute (AERI), at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney.

AERI is the recipient of a $19 million grant from the Commonwealth’s Education Infrastructure Fund (EIF) and, along with its research partners at the University of Queensland, has been tasked with investigating the challenges faced with the integration of renewable energy sources into the grid.

A key facet of this work involves simulating future scenarios based not only on increasing penetration of solar and other renewable energy sources into the supply side of the electricity grid, but also modelling how future loads and usage will impact overall system stability. The uptake of EVs in large numbers is one such scenario that AERI is investigating.

Modelling the performance and impact of EV chargers – multiplied many times throughout a simulated grid – will allow AERI researchers to develop management and mitigation strategies at the system level, to ensure solutions to future problems are already available, before they eventuate.

The ABB Terra53 CJG EV charger will be used to power a small fleet of BMW i3s, as well as Tesla’s new model S. Installation and commissioning of the fast-charging unit is to be completed by early June.

“ABB’s Terra53 was selected due to its ability to charge some of the latest EV batteries from 30 percent to 80 percent in 15 minutes,” said manager of AERI Tim Dixon. “The ease of access to detailed charging data for the Terra53 also makes it an excellent fit for our research activities.”

Sales manager for ABB EV Chargers Anthony Froelich adds, “The Terra53 offers AERI the flexibility of being able to fulfil the various charging standards across their fleet of vehicles. It is compatible with all CHAdeMO, Combined Charging Systems (CCS) and Type 2 AC vehicles currently on the road.”

The ABB Group has experience establishing country-wide fast-charging networks with partners in countries including the Netherlands and Estonia. In Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, ABB is one of the partners helping install fast-charging infrastructure on the so-called “European Long-distance Electric Clean Transport Road Infrastructure Corridor.  For the project, a total of 155 chargers are to be installed, to make sure drivers of EVs can travel busy north-south routes without worrying about where their next charge will come from.

In China, ABB’s partnership with Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology Co., Ltd offers the convenience of fast charging at home, at work or at public charging stations, combined with a mobile app that allows remote monitoring and control of charging sessions. Since the partnership was first announced in February 2014, ABB has successfully delivered the first batch of EV chargers to end-customer and Chinese homes, bringing a simple, fast and reliable solution to them; with installations growing steadily.