ABB to power Volvo’s self-driving buses in Singapore
Swiss robotics and technology firm ABB, Volvo, and Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) are taking part in a groundbreaking driverless electric bus project which aims to enable buses of the future to charge their batteries, drive to the vehicle wash and park – entirely autonomously.
ABB will power the buses with Heavy Vehicle Chargers (HVC) 300P, a fast charging system that delivers 300 kW DC power and recharge a battery in three to six minutes.
Volvo and NTU will develop an autonomous driving solution for two all-electric 12-meter Volvo 7900 Electric buses. The self-driving buses are set to be delivered in Singapore in early 2019.
One of the autonomous electric buses will be tested at the country’s Centre of Excellence for Testing and Research of Autonomous Vehicles (CETRAN) while the second bus will be used for tests in the bus depot, in partnership with Singapore’s public transport operator SMRT.
Nanyang Technological University estimates that electric vehicles could make up as much as 50 percent of Singapore's motor population by 2050.
