ABB, the power and automation technology group, is exhibiting its portfolio of charging solutions for electric cars at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show (March 3-13), including a fast charger that expands the range of electric vehicles by recharging them at more than 10 times the speed of a standard charger.

Since the prototype fast charger presented at Geneva in 2010, ABB has developed its first generation commercial product and obtained certification under the global CHAdeMO standard for fast charging using direct current (DC). ABB’s DC chargers are now operational in pilot projects in Europe and Asia, providing rapid charging facilities for the first electric vehicles capable of rapid charging, including the Protoscar Lampo, Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Peugeot Ion, Citroen Czero and Nissan Leaf.

At the Motor Show, ABB is also presenting its prototype standard charger based on alternating current (AC), which is designed for installation at home and at other locations where cars are typically parked for longer periods (offices, shopping centers, etc.). These units fully recharge a car battery in about eight hours.

By cutting charging times to less than 30 minutes, fast chargers enable longer trips and are expected to play a crucial role in the spread of electric vehicles.

"Improvements in electric vehicle charging equipment are helping to bring mass-consumer adoption of electric transportation closer to reality,” said Ulrich Spiesshofer, head of ABB’s Discrete Automation and Motion division. "The key to lower emissions and quieter, less polluted cities is innovation that supports the large-scale adoption of electric cars, and ABB is developing a complete range of charging systems for home, office or longer journeys."

In January, ABB invested $10 million in ECOtality, a San Francisco-based developer of charging stations and power storage technologies, to enter North America’s electric vehicle charging market. As part of the agreement, ABB will supply ECOtality with both standard and fast chargers for a US Department of Energy-funded project to set up 15,000 charge points to support the deployment of 8,300 electric vehicles in cities across the US.

ABB’s charging stations in Geneva are located in the “Essais Verts” in Box E 11, where they are available to fast-charge CHAdeMO standard compatible electric vehicles at the ride-and-drive exhibit along with the standard AC charging of the Smart ED.