ABB Showcases World-Leading e-Vehicle Fast Chargers and Launches AI Readiness Index at Hannover

ABB spotlighted its world-leading Terra HP family of fast chargers for electric vehicles at Hannover Messe, the biggest global industrial trade fair. By operating at powers of up to 350 kilowatts and adding as much as 300 kilometers of range to an electric vehicle in just 12 minutes, the Terra HP family of chargers have made electric cars more appealing for consumers by enabling them to refresh the batteries in about the same time required for filling up a petrol-powered car. Terra HP chargers are being installed around the world, and they have been selected for use by Electrify America, the biggest electric vehicle infrastructure project to date in the United States.

ABB, whose broad array of digitally driven technologies for electric-power management are used by utilities and businesses worldwide, is also a global leader in industrial automation and robots enabled by artificial intelligence (AI). Demonstrating its commitment to helping the international community address the opportunities and challenges of AI and industrial automation, ABB at Hannover released a ground-breaking report in partnership with The Economist Intelligence Unit: "The Automation Readiness Index: Who Is Ready for the Coming Wave of Innovation?"

The report, while noting the economic and human benefits that industrial automation can unleash, finds that even the best-prepared countries must develop more effective education policies and training programs. Those policies and programs, the report recommends, must ensure that the rapid adoption of automation technologies and AI don’t leave people unprepared for the new, more human-oriented jobs that will be needed as robots and algorithms take on more of the routine tasks that can be and will be automated.

ABB's pioneering technology leadership in this new era of integrated industry also encompasses other innovative solutions that will be on display at Hannover Messe 2018:

• YuMi®, the first truly collaborative dual-armed robot and SafeMove2, the safety solution that enables robots to safely share working spaces with human operators while reducing total investment by 30 percent.
• The EVLunic AC wallbox, available with from 4.6 kW to 22 kW of charging power, serving as a high quality, cost effective e-car charging point for home and business use, in addition to the Terra HP line of public-network charging stations for electric vehicles.
• ABB Ability^TM, the unified, cross-industry digital capability that empowers customers to know more, do more and do better – together. The complete list of 210 solutions is available in the new ABB Ability^TM Solutions Catalog, which is being launched at the event.
• ABB Ability^TM Power Transformer, with smart devices built into every ABB transformer to enable customers to remotely monitor vital parameters in real time for improved reliability and higher utilization of grid assets and power networks.
• STIR, the submersible transformer inspection robot, which makes it possible to internally inspect transformers without draining their oil, making the task safer and less expensive.
• Gas-insulated switchgear (GIS), which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. With over 30,000 installations worldwide, GIS uses pressurized sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) as its insulating gas instead of air, to enable safer electrical operations in confined spaces.
• ABB Ability™ Connected Services, unlocking a world of possibilities in diagnostics, monitoring, predictive maintenance and asset optimization, for up to 25 percent fewer incidents and 60 percent faster response and issue recovery times.
• ABB Ability™ Digital Powertrain, which ensures efficient operation of powertrain equipment, including drives, motors, bearings and pumps. A suite of monitoring services – including advanced analytics and maintenance planning – enables users to digitally "see” operational variables through an integrated, one-stop portal.
• B&R, the solutions provider for machine and factory automation worldwide. Acquired by ABB in July 2017, B&R is integrated into ABB’s Industrial Automation division as its global Machine & Factory Automation business unit. Featured are B&R's ACOPOStrak, the intelligent, flexible transport system that's setting a new standard for smart-factory motion control in the era of mass customization, and B&R's Orange Box, an advanced analytics solution for brownfield assets, which enables users to access previously unreadable data from digitally isolated machinery.

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a pioneering technology leader in electrification products, robotics and motion, industrial automation and power grids, serving customers in utilities, industry and transport & infrastructure globally. Continuing a history of innovation spanning more than 130 years, ABB today is writing the future of industrial digitalization with two clear value propositions: bringing electricity from any power plant to any plug and automating industries from natural resources to finished products. As title partner of Formula E, the fully electric international FIA motorsport class, ABB is pushing the boundaries of e-mobility to contribute to a sustainable future. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 135,000 employees. www.abb.com

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