Switzerland based power and automation technology provider, ABB, has received a contract from the Dutch infrastructure group Fastned to deliver equipments for building the nationwide electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging infrastructure in Netherlands.
As part of the contract, the Swiss firm will deliver over 200 EV fast stations with chargers, which would bring all of the Netherlands' 16.7 million residents within 50km of a charger.
Delivery of chargers, which are capable of re-charging a battery in about 15-30 minutes, would begin in September 2013, with the construction of Fastned stations equipped with solar canopies to be completed by 2015.
Fastned co-founder Bart Lubbers said that the countrywide network of locations will lay the basis for the commercially viable development of e-mobility.
"I foresee a race towards faster charging and larger batteries throughout the car industry," Lubbers said.
Features of each web-connected ABB fast charger include remote assistance, management and servicing and smart software upgrades, while supporting all fast-charging standards and protocols including CCS and CHAdeMO.
Additionally, ABB's open standards-based cloud connectivity solution would facilitate the Dutch infrastructure group in creating a user-friendly payment and access service for all charging station users.
Plans to install EV fast-charging stations along Dutch highways originally started in 2011 when Fastned sought permission from the Ministry of Infrastructure for implementing an EV-charging network and the company won concessions for 201 locations of the total 245 service stations in December 2011 following a public-tender process.
