Bosch to invest nearly 2.5 billion euros into hydrogen technology

Bosch looks to invest nearly 2.5 bn euros in hydrogen technology from 2021 to 2026.

Bosch is helping to shape the hydrogen economy and sees obligations on the part of policymakers. At Bosch’s Stuttgart-Feuerbach location, the supplier of technology and services has now begun volume production of its fuel-cell power module. Nikola Corporation, based in the United States, will serve as the pilot customer with its Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell electric truck, which is scheduled to enter the North American market in the third quarter of 2023. “Bosch knows its way around hydrogen, and Bosch is growing with hydrogen.” The company operates along the entire hydrogen value chain, developing technology for its production and application. By 2030, Bosch plans to generate sales of roughly 5 billion euros with hydrogen technology. 

Between 2021 and 2026, Bosch will have invested a total of nearly 2.5 billion euros in the development and manufacturing of its hydrogen technologies. The business opportunities for Bosch are huge, as is the effect on jobs. Hartung especially believes that Europe must do much more to create a counterweight to the rapid pace of developments in other regions of the world, such as the United States. 

The Bosch chairman has four demands of German and European policymakers: “First, we have to step up the pace of hydrogen production in the EU (European Union). Second, global supply chains must be set up, and third, hydrogen must be used in all sectors of the economy.” As a fourth point, he stressed the importance of quickly setting up infrastructure for distributing hydrogen in Europe. 

Bosch is exploring several options for the use of hydrogen. Stationary solid-oxide fuel cells can be used for the distributed supply of power and heat. In a pilot project at the hospital in Erkelenz, near Cologne in Germany, Bosch wants to use the technology to achieve an overall efficiency of 90 percent. The micropower plant there will initially run on natural gas but can be converted to green hydrogen. Apart from the fuel-cell powertrain, Bosch is also working on the hydrogen engine, developing systems for both port and direct injection of hydrogen. This solution is particularly suitable for heavy vehicles on long hauls with especially heavy loads.  

“A hydrogen engine can do everything a diesel engine does, but on top of that, it is carbon neutral. It also allows a fast and cost-effective entry into hydrogen-based mobility,” Heyn said. One major advantage is that more than 90 percent of the development and manufacturing technologies needed for it already exist. The H2 engine is expected to be launched starting in 2024.  

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