Power2Drive 2024: ABB pulls out all the stops with the new A400

Exciting appointment at ABB: There we were welcomed by Mona Streckert, press and marketing contact, who explained the new A400 to us in detail. The utmost importance was placed on even better usability as well as service and maintenance. This means that a high-quality 32” screen with an intuitive user interface was integrated, “which clearly shows and communicates to the users what is going on,” Streckert enthuses. Because nothing is worse than any uncommunicated interruptions, cryptic signs, or no message at all. This is why the A400 ideally also explains why charges are not taking place.

The goal of ABB is a charging success rate of 99% and an availability of 97%. The A400 also offers 24/7 service-level agreements (SLAs) for quick response times and is designed for a lifespan of ten years. Here too, improvements were made in detail according to Streckert: The cable routing was changed: The cooled charging cable is now guided over an arm and attached differently. This makes it easier to handle and simpler to replace in the case of service – and they even saved cable length! They even considered a roof as an accessory.

ABB has reworked every single part

Add to that the dynamic power distribution, highly efficient, in-house built silicon carbide power modules, and the two-phase cooling technology within the plug. The development of the A400 strongly considered funding eligibility in Europe. The product was designed based on the criteria of current funding programs as well as expected criteria for future programs according to AFIR.

The software was also upgraded

And especially as future long-distance truck charging is concerned, factors like grid strength, grid performance, and access will increasingly count, according to Streckert. This is why various application scenarios were considered and flexible, scalable, and intelligent solutions were thought out, also to keep the TCO costs for operators as low as possible. “In the past, DC chargers were sometimes lighthouses or experiments, today they are part of fleet management or should earn money,” explains Streckert the new conditions.