Polara Contracts ABB to Electrify Fleets with CSS Skid-Mounted Power Distribution Units

Nov. 9, 2023
The Quebec Government's 2030 Plan for a Green Economy aims to electrify up to 65% of its existing school bus fleet and expects all new school buses in the province to be electric

Polara, an EV infrastructure company, has awarded a contract to ABB for e-mobility Compact Secondary Substation (CSS) skid-mounted power distribution units to charge and electrify vehicle fleets in Canada and the U.S.

Under the contract, ABB will supply power distribution skids for the Polara CHRGPK, an optimized modular design unit offering various skid sizes depending on the number of vehicles requiring charging at any given time.

Each CHRGPK unit includes a CSS housing a low- to medium-voltage switchgear up to 40.5 kV, transformers, and a low-voltage switchboard with protection devices. While the pre-engineered units are assembled and tested at the factory, they are ideal for public areas considering safety as a top priority.

The modular skid solution design will offer reduced engineering, risk, and time and simplified “plug and play” installation with increased safety.

"The custom-engineered solutions can be duplicated in future rollouts,” said Sebastien Fournier, CEO of Polara. “Operators are now responsible for procurement, charging infrastructure, and maintenance of their zero-emission vehicles, and Polara is committed to their energy transition."

The collaboration is a result of Canada’s $11 billion investment in reliable, fast, affordable, and clean public transit over the next eight years, which includes more than $2 billion per year in federal public transit funding to be made available to support projects beginning in 2026 and 2027.

The Quebec Government's 2030 Plan for a Green Economy aims to electrify up to 65% of its existing school bus fleet and expects all new school buses in the province to be electric.

Quebec anticipates reducing 48% of emissions within the transportation sector to 29.6 million tons of CO2 by 2030 from 36.5 Mt in 2019.

About the Author

EnergyTech Staff

Rod Walton is senior editor for EnergyTech.com. He has spent 14 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist.

Walton formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.

He can be reached at [email protected]

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