Energy transition excels in Shanghai with ABB FIA Formula E World Championship
28.05.2024
• The all-electric motorsport championship returns to China for the first time since 2019
• ABB’s technology solutions reduce emissions and increase efficiency
• China is ABB’s second largest market, where the company plays a key role in the energy transition and industrial upgrade
• Images are available here (credit ABB/DPPI)
Photo: new.abb.com
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is returning to China but to a new race location – the Shanghai International Circuit.
The 22 drivers will go wheel-to-wheel through the sweeping corners of the 12-turn, 3.05 km track, which has a layout taking inspiration from the Chinese symbol 'shang' meaning ascend.
Dr. Chunyuan Gu, Chairman, ABB China, said: “It’s great to have the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship returning to the country where it all began with the first ever race in Beijing in 2014, showcasing the possibilities of electrification and sustainable transportation. ABB is playing a key role in China’s industrial upgrade and energy transition, implementing our solutions into a range of projects across the country to electrify, optimize and decarbonize.”
Last season, ABB integrated its innovative ABB Ability™ OPTIMAX® energy management software solution into the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, helping to maximize the energy efficiency of the racing series’ at-track operations. This technology is not only in use on the racetrack. A prominent university in southern China is constructing a campus energy station that will use the steam and cold storage from a local power plant, offering a cost-effective solution. ABB OPTIMAX® can predict load demand based on weather forecast and optimize energy supply in real-time, ensuring an efficient balance between cooling supply and demand.
China is ABB’s second largest market, where the company plays a key role in the energy transition and industrial upgrade. Recent investments include the ABB Robotics Mega Factory in Shanghai, the ABB E-mobility China head office in Shenzhen and the ABB Industrial Hub in Xiamen.
The Green Microgrid Project at this hub is a prime example of green and low carbon energy transformation as it reduces annual CO2 emissions by 13,400 tons as part of ABB’s Mission to Zero™ journey. The manufacturing hub, which has state-of-the-art production lines for low and medium voltage switchgear and circuit breakers, has 100,000m2 of rooftop solar panels generating enough solar energy to cover around 50 percent of the site’s annual electricity energy consumption.
ABB has also improved efficiency and reduced emissions at Beijing Enterprises Environment Group Limited’s (BEEGL’s) solid waste treatment plant in Zhangjiagang. ABB’s high efficiency variable speed drives (VSDs) have increased energy efficiency by approximately 30 percent, while also helping to reduce the facility’s annual coal usage by over 120,000 tons and CO2 emissions by more than 300,000 tons.
This commitment to efficiency and decarbonization is also seen in the automotive industry. ABB will supply more than 1,300 energy efficiency robots along with Omnicore controllers to Volvo Cars to build the next generation of electric vehicles, while delivering energy savings of up to 20 percent. During the deployment, ABB will ensure production remains uninterrupted through the use of its RobotStudio® planning and programing software platform to visualize and optimize the deployment before the robots are installed. The project includes functional packages covering various production tasks, from spot-welding, riveting and dispensing, to flow drilling and ultrasonic weld inspection. Each package is a ready-to-use, customer-proven combination of hardware, software and services and will be implemented at Volvo Cars’ facilities in Daqing, China and Torslanda, Sweden.
More information on ABB’s sustainability-related technology in China can be found on our Race For the Energy Transition web pages.
Following the race in Shanghai, the Championship returns to Portland, USA, on June 29 and 30. The season calendar comprises 16 races in 10 global locations, including new venues of Tokyo, Shanghai and Misano.