Swiss-Swedish firm ABB has commenced construction of a new factory in San Giovanni Valdarno, Italy, which will serve as a global center of excellence and production site for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
The company has invested US$30m in the facility, which follows a US$10m investment in a new, fully sustainable, global e-mobility headquarters and R&D center built on the TU Delft campus in Heertjeslaan, Netherlands, which is set to officially open later this year.
ABB says the plant will produce its entire portfolio of DC electric vehicle battery chargers, from domestic systems to systems for installation in public areas and those dedicated to urban public transportation.
Giampiero Frisio, head of ABB’s Smart Power division, said, “At ABB we have been driving progress in the sector for more than a decade and this new state-of-the-art facility will contribute significantly to further advancing the global move toward zero-emission electric mobility.”
The entire facility will be digitally twinned, which the company hopes will be highly beneficial to its operational efficiency. A dedicated 3,200m2 (34,500ft2) space will be set aside for development and prototyping, which ABB says will focus on the implementation of new charging solutions, software and product lifecycle management tools.
The 16,000m2 (172,000ft2) facility is expected to be operational by the end of 2021.