Switzerland – ABB Traction of Turgi, Switzerland, launched a brand new propulsion package for the electric bus market at Busworld this month featuring new electric motors, inverters and batteries for improved efficiency and offering a longer range per kilowatt hour. With the experience of having already equipped 400 buses to date with its previous systems, David Segbers, ABB’s Global Product Manager for traction systems, was keen to promote the company’s new product offerings, he said:

We’ve made huge progress in electric drivetrain technology since the last Busworld event in 2019. We’re particularly excited about our new HES580 3-level inverter, which increased the motor efficiency and will be the motor-friendliest inverter on the market for bus powertrains. It will offer bus operators an opportunity to extend the length of journeys.

New ABB 3-level inverter

Starting with the new ABB inverter, Segbers said that the new HES580-3L inverter was the very first three-level drive in the market for electric buses. “While most buses today use two-level topologies, the three-level topology reduces the harmonic losses in any motor due to the smother current output waveform . As a result, the traction motor can work more energy efficiently and reliably over a longer lifetime cut lifetime costs for operators.”

ABB e-Motors

The new AMXE250S traction motor was also presented at Busworld. It increases the performance in terms of torque and power while reducing the weight of the motor, said Segbers. Asked by T&BB about the new design, weight and power enhancements, Segbers said there was a 20% improvement in size and weight, for example the weight has reduced from 360kg to 300kg. Output has increased from 190kW to 240kW and torque from 2,800 to 3,000Nm. Segbers said:

This motor design was developed specifically for commercial electric vehicles, which can vary widely in terms of size, role and journey requirements. It will be available in two length and power ratings so OEMs can choose the suitable version for their bus size. Engineers can configure the motor to match precisely the performance requirements of their buses.

He added that the new e-motors were already being installed by a customer and that series production of the new motors had started at ABB’s production facility in Vasteros, Sweden. Further improvements in terms of weight were expected in the future. Segbers added that its electric motors were most suitable for 12m buses and that the motors were scalable to suit longer articulated vehicles of 18-21 metres.

ABB ultra-fast charging battery systems

ABB also displayed its next generation high power traction battery packs suitable for fast charging buses such as trolley or BRT buses or fuel cell applications. Its new battery packs offer a compact design that minimizes the size and weight of the battery, which, suggested Segbers, enables bus engineers to meet electrical performance requirements in a small space, whilst limiting the overall weight of the vehicle. Its ultra-fast charging properties, Segbers pointed out, improves passenger experience by cutting waiting times at charging stops.

New unilateral cable protection routing solution for buses

Safe and efficient connection and on-board communication between components is essential to efficiency and ABB has its own in-house wire loom and connection provider, Harnessflex. The Harnessflex EVO Conduit Systems were developed to protect essential wiring on modern electric vehicles, including electric buses. Specialists in connector protection, Harnessflex have pioneered and developed a comprehensive range of solutions which enhance and maintains the IP ingress Protection performance of today’s modern HV connectors in vibrating applications, particularly relevant for modern sustainable transport fleets. A new product from Harnessflex on display was the unilateral cable protection routing solution for buses.