ABB Group is a Swiss-based multinational corporation that specializes in power, robotics, electrical equipment and automation. It has formally announced the partnership with Davos and disclosed that it will deploy its TOSA bus in the city which will operate on the busy Line 1, which serves from the tourist center to the city's main hospital.
It's the first time the company's TOSA technology will be utilized in an Alpine region. The primary objective of the initiative is to run the system during extreme winter weather conditions in an attempt to discover and gain valuable insights from the pilot project. ABB has been supported in this program by its project partners.
In addition to this, it has been revealed that the TOSA bus which is already in operation in Geneva will be deployed in the French city of Nantes. Electric cars that used to transport attendees around Davos will be able to recharge at eight newly erected ABB fast-charging stations.
CEO of ABB, Ulrich Spiesshofer claimed that the transition towards the adoption of electric vehicles is no longer a question of if, but rather when - and said its approach towards electrification is reflective of a growing global movement amongst several different industries.
The ABB CEO said, "The shift to electric vehicles (EVs) is no longer a question of if, but rather of when and how quickly. EVs are becoming increasingly attractive to motorists. As well as being ecologically responsible, they're becoming less expensive to buy and maintain."
During the World Economic Forum hosted in Davos, world leaders and esteemed guests were able to view ABB Terra 53 charging stations in action. The TOS technology recently deployed in the Swiss city has been powering buses on Geneva's airport route for the last number of months and has been hailed as a phenomenal success.
They use overhead contacts that connect at selected stops along their routes to replenish their batteries in as little as 20 seconds, recharging as passengers board and exit. The environmentally friendly system in Geneva could ultimately cut carbon dioxide emissions by 1,000 tons annually according to ABB representatives.
TOSA received the prestigious Watt d'Or 2018 in the energy efficient mobility category from the Swiss Federal Office of Energy.