ABB supplies EV charger for renewable energy research

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

The recipient of a $19 million grant from the Education Infrastructure Fund (EIF), AERI 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 to model how future loads and usage will impact overall system stability; the uptake of EVs in large numbers is one such scenario.

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. Modelling the performance and impact of the charger - 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 available before they eventuate.

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

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

Installation and commissioning of the fast-charging unit will be completed by June.