Electric vehicle charging specialist ABB E-mobility is expanding its global and US manufacturing footprint further with new operations in South Carolina.

ABB’s new manufacturing site in South Carolina will produce up to 10,000 chargers per year

Located in Columbia, the site will produce up to 10,000 chargers per year, ranging from 20kW to 180kW in power. These will target the public charging, school bus and fleet markets and will be available from as early as 2023.

The multi-million-dollar investment in the new operation builds on the firm’s existing US manufacturing facilities which produce transit bus chargers ranging from 150kW to 450kW.

ABB said the new site enables it to meet increasing market demand for electric vehicle chargers – the US, along with vehicle OEMs, has set a target for half of all new vehicle sales to be electric by 2030 and some 18 million EVs are expected to be on US roads by this date.

The new plant will also create a more efficient localised supply chain and reduce delivery lead times.

Bob Stojanovic, vice president for ABB E-mobility in North America, commented: “Expanding our US manufacturing operations will allow us to better serve our customers and help advance the adoption of EVs from private vehicles to public transportation and fleets. Our facility in South Carolina is another example of how we are driving the American e-mobility economy forward with high-quality and reliable EV charging solutions that meet the needs of every part of a sustainable transportation ecosystem.”

The expansion is the latest in a series of significant US-focused announcements from ABB E-mobility, including the launch in July 2022 of a training centre in Sugar Land, Texas and an R&D facility in Southern California. Continued investments are planned for 2024 and beyond.