Davos, Switzerland – ABB powers first e-shuttle to annual meeting of 2019 World Economic Forum in Davos which took place from January 22-25.
Leaders and industry players of all sectors enjoyed the journey up the mountains to the city of Davos, Switzerland to the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2019.
This year there is something different. Delegates experienced the benefits of electric transportation first hand with a sustainable shuttle service, powered by ABB. It is the first e-shuttle service from Zurich Airport to Davos, an almost 2-hour drive through the Swiss Alps. The shuttle will also run in Davos.
One of the five working principles of this year’s WEF annual meeting is that global growth must be inclusive and sustainable. Electric mobility answers both of these requirements and ABB brings this vision to life for the WEF delegates, adding a new chapter to its more than 130-year history as a pioneering technology leader. ABB deploys new digital technologies across the transport sector to make e-mobility a reality on the road, on rail and at sea.
50 Audi e-tron’s, the German car maker’s first all-electric vehicle (EV), will be powered by 15 high-power (HP) chargers and 16 DC fast chargers from ABB, a global leader in EV charging infrastructure. Operated through IONITY, a joint venture of leading OEMs which is building a network of electric-vehicle service stations across Europe, the chargers will be located in both Davos, Kemptthal and the Heidiland motorway stop. They will be used to re-charge the vehicles en route between Davos and the airport. Eight ABB fast chargers were installed in the city of Davos at the start of last year’s World Economic Forum.
The initiative chimes with the main theme of this year’s annual meeting, which focuses on the concept of Globalization 4.0 – a new iteration of global cooperation and trade that will increasingly focus on “sharing and caring” rather than exclusively on production and consumption. The e-shuttle shows what impact electric mobility can have on transport systems for the future and how to make cities clean and smart.
Today, ABB has a fast-growing global installed base of approximately 8,500 ABB DC chargers, including 1,200 DC high-power chargers, up to 350 kW, sold in 70 countries, more chargers than any other manufacturer. ABB’s Terra HP charger adds up to 200-kilometers of range to an electric vehicle in just 8 minutes and is ideally suited for use at highway rest stops and petrol stations.
In addition to charging technologies for electric cars, ABB’s product portfolio also includes charging buses and trucks, as well as solutions for the electrification of ships, railways and cable cars. Fortune Magazine recently ranked ABB #8 on its list of companies that are “changing the world” for the advances it has made in e-mobility and electric vehicle charging.