
Bosch made its name producing magnetos for early automobile ignition systems.
Robert Bosch GmbH will build a pilot production line in Eisenach, Germany to research materials and production processes for future lithium-ion batteries. The pilot line will produce the first samples for trial purposes from 2012. Ultimately, an annual production volume of more than 200,000 cells is planned by 2015 for the marine industry. Bosch already has a joint venture with Samsung SDI, SB LiMotive for making automotive lithium-ion batteries.
Bosch will be helped in this project by chemical giant and by ThyssenKrupp System Engineering for process plant engineering. Bosch said this will help develop a European supplier network for materials and production machinery for lithium-ion batteries.
Currently, lithium-ion battery technology is dominated by Asian firms, in China, Japan and Korea. U.S. and European automakers are scrambling to increase their expertise in hybrid and electric vehicle technologies because of increasingly stringent government regulations that favor hybrid and electric vehicles.
Bosch said will gradually increase the size of the project team to roughly 80 associates. They will work to develop materials for anodes, cathodes, and electrolytes, and also examine their chemical interactions. The knowledge they gain will be used in new manufacturing processes.
The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. In the areas of automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology, some 285,000 associates generated sales of €47.3 billion in 2010. The company which is 125 year old this year, made its name producing magnetos and spark plugs for early automobile ignition systems.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.