E-mobility highlighted as ABB Formula E sets up in Berlin

E-mobility progress is demonstrated for land and air with ABB’s Megawatt charging technology prior to the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship at Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport on May 14 and 15 for rounds seven and eight.

Kiwi Jaguar TCS Racing team driver Mitch Evans comes into the race event on a roll after double-header wins in Rome followed by a second placing in Barcelona.

“The circuit in Berlin is a real test of energy management strategies and efficiency, topics which off-track are crucial to helping us meet sustainability targets,” says ABB chief communications and sustainability officer Theodor Swedjemark.

ABB hosted an exclusive event with MAN on Friday, May 13 at Tempelhof around Megawatt charging systems for heavy duty vehicles.

Speakers at the event included Germany’s digital and transport federal minister Volker Wissing, ABB E-mobility chief executive Frank Muehlon, MAN chief executive Alexander Vlaskamp, and European Clean Truck Alliance spokeswoman Kristin Kahl.

The airport setting is a fitting one for ABB and its technology as it’s not just zero-emission travel on land and sea that ABB supports, but also in the air.

ABB E-mobility will develop and supply Megawatt fast charging infrastructure for Lilium NV’s high speed regional air network, scheduled for commercial launch in 2024.

With the quick turnaround times needed for electric aviation, the ABB charging points can fully charge the seven-seater Lilium Jet’s batteries in about 30 minutes and charge up to 80% in 15 minutes.

Berlin is also the location of ABB’s digital e-mobility venture Panion, which has worked alongside Amazon Web Services (AWS) to develop the cloud-based solution ‘Panion EV Charge Planning’.

Designed for the real-time management of EV fleets and charging infrastructure, the solution makes it easier for operators to monitor energy usage and schedule charging across their fleets.

The Berlin E-Prix will also host the next FIA Girls on Track event, of which ABB is global partner. The event offers girls aged eight to 18 the opportunity to explore different aspects of the motorsport industry through a set of activities and workshops.

One of the workshops will be focused on ABB robotics, featuring two of the company’s most innovative collaborative robots – YuMi and GoFa.

Further supporting this partnership, ABB’s latest video in its FIA Girls on Track series has been released ahead of the race, featuring Nicki Shields, Formula E presenter and pitlane reporter.

After Berlin, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship heads to Jakarta on June 4 for round nine.