Bringing the power of electrification to US transportation

From electrified NASCAR race cars, to trains powered by hydrogen fuel cells, via hybrid and all-electric power solutions for the marine sector, ABB is helping the transport industry in many guises to outrun – leaner and cleaner.

This vital sector is what keeps America’s industries moving and we’re helping it do that more efficiently and sustainably by supporting the transition to electric mobility with powertrains for buses, trucks, trains and marine vessels, as well as charging solutions for EVs.

Pioneering NASCAR partnership

A striking example of our role in electrifying US transportation is our partnership with the country’s premier motor-sport series, NASCAR.

The pioneering collaboration, launched in July 2024, uses ABB’s expertise in electrification and automation to deliver on the sustainability objectives of a premier US sporting franchise. Earlier this year, we announced the installation of 30 level 2 electric vehicle chargers at NASCAR’s Daytona Beach HQ, helping to further the series’ sustainability goals.

At the same time, the partnership harnesses the appeal of the country’s biggest motorsport series to showcase the benefits of electrified transportation to an entirely new US audience.

As a founding partner of NASCAR IMPACT, we have engaged with programs to promote sustainability, community engagement and other social initiatives. Central to our partnership is NASCAR’s plan to reduce its own carbon footprint to zero, across its core operations, by 2035.

Transforming the marine industry with hybrid-electric vessels and shore solutions

Our links with the US marine sector are extensive and long-standing. ABB technologies and solutions are in place on land and at sea to support efficiency and sustainability initiatives on vessels and in ports.

We’re industry leaders in the cruise sector, where our shore power solutions have contributed to reducing emissions from vessels docked in South Florida, thanks to more than 80 shore power retrofits to vessels. Shore-to-ship power means docked vessels don’t have to run their diesel engines while in harbor.

A cleaner solution for ocean monitoring

One of our hybrid-electric propulsion systems has been chosen for a new ocean sampling catamaran to be used by the Orange County Sanitation (OC San) District in Southern California.

We’re supplying the system to shipbuilder All American Marine for a vessel to support OC San’s ocean monitoring program, which has run for more than 40 years. The program verifies the safety of sea water for swimming, marine life and fisheries. Due for delivery in 2027, the catamaran is being built to meet Californian air quality standards for hybrid vessels.

Landmark anniversaries for electric boats in the US

2025 brings landmark anniversaries for two notable ABB projects in the marine sector.

The fully-electric Maid of the Mist ferries, which operate in Niagara Falls with ABB Power and Energy Management Systems controlling power distribution, will celebrate five years since entering service in 2020.

Onboard battery packs are charged with electricity from the nearby hydro-electric power plant, making Maid of the Mist energy cycles entirely emissions-free.

Across the US, on the west coast, a pioneering all-electric tugboat has been in operation for a year at the port of San Diego.

The eWolf tug was designed by Crowley Engineering Services around an ABB propulsion system, making it the first all-electric, battery-powered harbor tug built and operated in the US – and only the third of its kind in the world.

It can operate for a full day before re-charging and, like the Maid of the Mist, is emissions-free.

On track with rail electrification

In the rail sector we are collaborating to advance greener rail transport in the US. In partnership with train builder Stadler US, we are supplying traction converters and Pro Series Traction Batteries to fleets of new trainsets in Chicago and California.

Metra, the rail system serving the Chicago area, will become one of the first US operators to operate full battery-powered trainsets. It has ordered eight new two-car trainsets, each equipped with ABB batteries and traction converters.

Meanwhile Caltrans, which operates transportation services across California, including inter-city rail, has ordered 10 hydrogen-powered trainsets from Stadler. These will also be equipped with ABB batteries and traction converters.

Assembly and testing of the ABB components will be carried out at our Traction factory in Mechanicsville, Virginia, highlighting our commitment to local-for-local manufacturing.

Last year our traction systems were used to power Stadler’s hydrogen-powered FLIRT H2 train during a record-breaking distance trial. California’s San Bernardino County Transportation Authority is due to introduce the zero-emission trains on the Redlands Passenger Rail Project, a nine-mile stretch of track between the San Bernardino Transit Center and the University of Redlands in Los Angeles.

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