Hitachi ABB Power Grids to focus on e-mobility

NEW DELHI: Hitachi ABB Power Grids, the joint venture between Hitachi and ABB, will focus on electric mobility and smart cities, where it sees opportunities in the electric vehicle charging space, the company’s top executive in India said.
The company, which formally began operations on Wednesday, is upbeat about its prospects in India, although the Covid-induced lockdown has severely hit demand.

"It is a short-term challenge. It's only a matter of time before the energy demand falls in line," the company's India managing director, N Venu, told ET.

All metro systems in India use the company's power grid technology for their operations. Hitachi ABB Power Grids also supplies Indian Railways with over $42 million worth of converters for their electric locomotives.

The company has also piloted a programme with Ashok Leyland to test a zero-emission mass transportation system, with an aim to move into the e-bus market. Previously, a large number of bids were won by Chinese green companies, which have come under the scanner with rising tension between India and China.

The merger's former parent company ABB has invested more than $2.4 billion in China since 1992, is not worried about any issues arising in India due to the border conflict, Venu said. "We are fully compliant with all norms and we have robust manufacturing in India. We are not worried," he said.

Although Hitachi-ABB does not foresee any problems in the supply chain from China, it currently does not have any plans to move any further operations to India. "In this Covid-affected situation. It is very difficult to move anything right now," said Venu.