ABB Teams up with Black Box Innovations to expand Electric Vehicle Energy Management System Accessibility Across Canada

November 12, 2024

Photo: Mike Shenouda and Taner Cairns, Founder of Black Box Innovations celebrated the signature of this licensing agreement at ABB’s Canadian head office in Montreal.

The focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions across North America is driving the transition to electric vehicles (EV) and efforts to decarbonize light-duty vehicle fleets, accelerating the need for reliable and convenient residential and commercial EV charging infrastructure. To support sustainability goals and enhance the customer experience, ABB Electrification Canada – Installation Products has completed a licensing agreement in Canada with Black Box Innovations, a North American expert in advanced Energy Management technology, to bring systems that allow efficient, safe and affordable installation of EV chargers and other appliances to homes and businesses across the country. 

As a result of the licensing agreement, a range of sustainable, code-compliant Energy Management Systems powered by Black Box Innovations’ patented technology will be available through ABB Electrification – Installation Products’ electrical distribution partners across Canada in 2025. ABB will augment the manufacturing of these products locally, leveraging ABB’s engineering expertise and manufacturing footprint in Canada. The team will also collaborate on the design and manufacturing of new models, components and parts licensed under the ABB Electrification – Installation Products brand. 

Instead of requiring extensive electrical infrastructure upgrades, Black Box Innovations’ patented technology enables electric vehicles (EVs) and other electric devices to charge or operate when there is sufficient electrical capacity available and automatically stop, or reduce electrical usage, when capacity is limited. Compatible with existing residential or commercial electrical services from 60 Amp to 200 Amp, the device can be integrated with existing infrastructure and prevents overloading systems. Through intelligent system current monitoring and automatic load management, customers can protect their electrical equipment and eliminate the need for expensive electrical service or panel upgrades.  

“As the need for simple, cost-effective and efficient EV charging solutions continues to grow, our collaboration with Black Box Innovations will help address our customers’ current challenges. Together we will streamline the installation process and provide reliable and accessible EV energy management that meets their evolving needs,” said Mike Shenouda, Canada Region Leader and General Manager, ABB Installation Products. “Combining our distribution, engineering and manufacturing capabilities with Black Box Innovations’ technology development and intellectual property complements ABB’s robust electrification portfolio and furthers our commitment to growth in Canada, bringing our customers reliable and sustainable solutions to help safely power their lives.”

“Working with a long-standing industry leader like ABB will help meet exponential growth and continued demand for our solutions across North America and gives both single-detached and multi-residential homeowners easy-to-use and less expensive options for enabling faster EV charging,” said Taner Cairns, Founder of Black Box Innovations. “Our strategic agreement with ABB will also significantly broaden access to our energy management and power control systems by accelerating the delivery of our cutting-edge products to a wider market. Additionally, it will allow for faster innovation and reinforce the protection of our valuable intellectual property rights, positioning us for continued growth and leadership in the industry.” 

The agreement extends ABB’s ecosystem of innovation partners and development of solutions to support decarbonization and energy efficiency, with a complete product portfolio that is well adapted to customer needs. From single-dwelling and multi-residential solutions for devices up to 80A and multiple device management applications, products will be available through ABB electrical distribution partners in Canada in 2025. Production is planned to begin in early 2025 at ABB’s Iberville manufacturing facility in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, with solutions offered to the Canadian market under the ABB Microelectric brand name in the Spring of 2025.

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