While hydrogen-powered vehicles account for a minuscule fraction of vehicles in production, Bosch anticipates rapid growth in the coming years. The company said it plans to invest about 2.5 billion € ($2.75 billion) on hydrogen tech between 2021 and 2026, up from its previous target of spending 1.5 billion € between 2021 and 2024.
That technology also includes investments in hydrogen electrolyzers, which split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Bosch said it will build 1.25-megawatt prototypes of its electrolyzers for pilot programs and anticipates production beginning in 2025.
It also plans to launch a hydrogen engine by 2024, and said it already has four orders. The company “expects six-figure unit volumes by 2030,” Bosch said in a news release.
“A hydrogen engine can do everything a diesel engine does, but on top of that, it is carbon neutral,” Heyn said. “It also allows a fast and cost-effective entry into hydrogen-based mobility.”
The fuel-cell power module Bosch is making for Nikola is part of an ongoing relationship.
The companies reached an agreement in 2021 that Bosch would supply power modules and other hydrogen-related components to Nikola by 2023. Bosch is a significant investor in Nikola, though it reduced its stake in the company in 2020.
Bosch ranks No. 1 on Automotive News’ 2023 list of the world’s top suppliers, with annual parts sales to automakers of $50.46 billion in 2022.
