“Bosch knows its way around hydrogen, and Bosch is growing with hydrogen,” said Bosch chair Stefan Hartung. Bosch is spending ~€2.5 billion in H2 technology from 2021 to 2026. Bosch is active in the whole hydrogen value chain, developing technology for its production and application. By 2030, Bosch claims it will generate sales of roughly ~€5 billion with hydrogen technology.

At the beginning of this year, Bosch started making prototypes for electrolysis using proton exchange membranes, the reverse of the energy conversion method used in mobile fuel cells. Starting in the fall, the company intends to make 1.25-megawatt prototypes available for pilot applications. It claims it is on track to start volume production in 2025.

Bosch, along with many major automakers and suppliers, 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 this technology to achieve overall efficiency of 90%. The micropower plant there will initially run on natural gas, but can be converted to green hydrogen.