INNOTRANS: ABB has launched its Pro Series battery as the latest addition to its range of traction powerpacks.
The Pro Series batteries are designed specifically for demanding transport applications. ABB says they are engineered to offer modularity and scalability, as well as high levels of safety and superior energy density in a compact design.
The Traction Battery Pro range offers a long lifespan of more than 20 000 cycles. The LTO-based batteries have a rapid charging capability which can see an 80% charge be completed in less than 10 min.
‘The priority is to use less energy in transport, in my view — especially in cities’, said Edgar Keller, Divisional President for Traction at ABB when the battery was unveiled on September 24. ‘There is no need to be hauling several tonnes of battery around — but we also should not have to compromise on performance. We see fast recharging as a key element to ensuring we can keep batteries small.’
The company’s Global Sales Manager for Traction Batteries, Andreas Z’Graggen, added that the health and condition monitoring tools which customers can access with the Pro Series would give them peace of mind about the lifespan of their traction drive. ABB is targeting a 12 to 15-year life for the Pro Series, which is being offered in dimensions approximately 10% to 20% smaller than previous products.
Z’Graggen suggested that while the fundamental technology underpinning rail battery designs had not changed significantly over the past five years or so, ABB now had a ‘much greater understanding’ of how batteries behave in rail applications, and how to optimise the software and control equipment required.
Keller believed that using batteries to partially replace diesel powerpacks in passenger rail vehicles remained a compelling use case; this could cut fuel consumption by around 30%, he suggested.
