Bosch expands hydrogen ambitions

Stuttgart-headquartered multinational Bosch has announced it’s significantly ramping up the scope of its hydrogen technology, and is set to invest up to 500 million euros by the end of the decade into developing a core component required for hydrogen electrolysis, used to produce green hydrogen.

The move is part of a wider push that will see Bosch invest 3 billion euros in climate-neutral technology over the next three years.

Leveraging its knowledge of hydrogen fuel cells, Bosch will be focusing its efforts on developing a core component of an electrolyzer called the stack.

The stack sees several hundred cells connected in series, and uses electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. This is the reverse of the process that takes place in a fuel cell, where electricity is generated by combining hydrogen and oxygen. Both processes enable a chemical reaction via a proton-exchange membrane (PEM).

With the electricity to enable the process coming from sustainable sources such as wind turbines or solar, the electrolyzer will produce clean, ‘green hydrogen’, which can then be used as a sustainable fuel source in a multitude of both mobile and stationary applications, including FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle) cars and trucks.

Bosch has partnered with a number of other companies to produce a ‘smart module’ that packages the electrolyzer stack with a control unit, power electronics, and various sensors, with a view to supplying the units from 2025.

“We cannot afford to delay climate action any longer, so we aim to use Bosch technology to support the rapid expansion of hydrogen production in Europe,” says Dr Stefan Hartung, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH.

The development of this technology essentially means Bosch will not only be playing a major role in how hydrogen power is harnessed, but how it’s produced too, hastening its push towards a zero-emission future.

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“Two key factors are involved in ramping up hydrogen production: speed and cost,” said Dr. Markus Heyn, member of the board of management of Bosch and chairman of the Mobility Solutions business sector.

“This is where we can play to our strengths, thanks to our expertise in mass production and our automotive know-how.”

The company says its hoping to commence volume production shortly at a number of European plants, including facilities in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic.