ABB to power autonomous vehicles at Singapore's new port

Swiss engineering and energy major ABB has won a contract from ST Engineering Land Systems to deliver and commission integrated smart charging points for Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) in the new Tuas port of Singapore.

The deliveries of the vehicles, which will be deployed to transport heavy shipping containers at the port terminal, are scheduled to begin from September 2020 through to August 2022, with the ABB chargers and supporting infrastructure set to be installed towards the end of 2020. The company has not disclosed financial details.

ABB says as part of the contract it will provide 450kW High Power Chargers, design and supply of charge point prefabricated skid and container solutions with integrated chargers, medium- and low- voltage switchgear, transformers and associated control and monitoring equipment. This integrated solution enables fast installation on site, ensures the highest levels of operability and mitigates risk.

The future port is a major milestone in Singapore’s next generation container terminal development with an annual capacity of 65 million containers (TEU) and is slated to be the largest port in the world by the time it is complete in 2040. The first berth will be operational in 2021.

Frank Muehlon, MD for ABB’s global EV charging infrastructure business, said:  “The project brings together two of the biggest trends disrupting the mobility industry, the rise of autonomous vehicles and the adoption of EVs. ABB’s technologies will enable quick charging of the AGVs, which is vital for efficient container movement and for increasing the capacity of the port.”

The company says this breakthrough project marks the first time ABB’s chargers will be used to power a fleet of autonomous vehicles for commercial operation. A specially designed and customised connection to the chargers will be enabled for end-to-end integration with the fully-electric AGVs.

Till date, ABB says it has deployed over 11,000 DC fast chargers across 76 countries globally.