ABB celebrates half a century of innovation and energy efficiency with variable speed drives
- October 9, 2025
This month – October 2025 – marks the 50th year since ABB’s Low Voltage Variable Speed Drive (VSD) was first brought to market
The LV VSD addressed a long-standing limitation of the traditional squirrel-cage induction motor, which had remained fixed-speed since its invention by Nikola Tesla in 1888. Prior to the introduction of VSDs, adjusting motor performance for variable loads typically relied on mechanical throttling methods, such as dampers or valves – solutions that did little in terms of energy efficiency, a release by ABB said.
An era-defining technology
“For 50 years, ABB’s low voltage drives have been a part of many era-defining technologies and breakthroughs, from electric public transport to today’s push for energy-efficient, low-carbon industries. Before the VSD, getting a fixed-speed motor to deliver the right output was like driving your car with your foot all the way down on the accelerator, and braking at the same time to control your speed,” explains Tuomo Hoysniemi, President of Drive Products at ABB.
Martti Harmoinen
The first commercial LV VSDs were developed in the early 1970s by Strömberg, a Finnish electrical engineering company that would become part of ABB in the 1980s. In 1975, the company launched the SAMI (Strömberg Asynchronous Motor Inverter), the first low voltage drive capable of precisely regulating the speed of an AC induction motor. (See featured photograph)
The first real-world installation of the SAMI A took place later that year at the Karihaara sawmill in northern Finland, using three 350kVA/500V units. Martti Harmoinen, the Strömberg engineer credited with leading the original development team, received the Finnish Engineering Award in 1981 and the honorary title of Professor in 1995.
Though Martti Harmoinen passed away in 2023, his work remains central to ABB’s mission to advance smart, efficient motor systems worldwide. ABB today is a market leader in the design and manufacture of VSDs, and continuously invests in cutting-edge technologies to realize the full energy efficiency potential of global industry. In the next 50 years, we may see further advances and the universal adoption of drives – or something completely new, the release said.
Energy efficiency
“Not every motor on the planet can be fitted with a Variable Speed Drive, but there is no question that most of them should be,” said Chris Poynter, President of Motion High Power at ABB. “There is a perception that sustainability is cost-prohibitive, but energy efficiency and decarbonization in an industrial setting are commercially prudent as well as fulfilling our duty to the planet. The total cost of ownership of running a motor with a VSD is far lower than working it to an early failure.”
Energy savings
Independent studies suggest that if VSDs were applied more broadly, including both constant and variable flow applications like pumps, fans, and compressors, annual energy consumption in EU could be reduced by around 140 terawatt-hours. ABB estimates that using VSDs in these scenarios can lead to energy savings of up to 12 per cent per installation. ABB estimates that 45 per cent of the world’s electricity is converted by industrial electric motors into motion but less than 25 per cent of those motors are connected to a VSD today.
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Featured photograph shows the SAMI (Strömberg Asynchronous Motor Inverter), the first low voltage drive capable of precisely regulating the speed of an AC induction motor, launched by Finnish company Strömberg in 1975. Strömberg became part of ABB in the 1980s.