Bosch invests 500 million euros in developing hydrogen electrolyzers

Germany's Bosch Group said this week that it will develop electrolyser components in the future.

Headquartered in Stuttgart, the Bosch Group hopes to invest 500 million euros ($527.6 million) in the new business sector by 2030. The investment will focus on developing the electrolyser stack.

"Climate protection is imperative! We want to use Bosch technology to support the rapid development of hydrogen production in Europe," said Stefan Hartung, CEO of the Bosch Group.

Markus Heyn, Bosch board member and head of Mobility Solutions, said the group will leverage its fuel cell technology. And, the group sees huge growth opportunities. Bosch predicts that the size of the electrolyzer components market will reach around 14 billion euros by 2030, with the highest growth rate in Europe. Overall, Bosch plans to invest around 3 billion euros in climate-neutral technologies over the next three years.

Bosch wants to develop electrolyser stacks with control units, power electronics and smart modular sensors, and will also work with partners to achieve this. These smart modules will be delivered to electrolysis system manufacturers and industrial service providers starting in 2025. Bosch said the first pilot plant was planned to be operational as early as next year.

The group expects good economies of scale from the mass production of its electrolysis components.

"Beyond speed, cost is a decisive factor in increasing hydrogen production," Heyn said.

Bosch hopes to produce hydrogen in various European regions, including Bamberg and Feuerbach in Germany, Tilburg in the Netherlands, Linz in Austria and Budweiser in the Czech Republic.

In addition to electrolyser components, the group is also working on stationary and mobile fuel cells. Everything from individual sensors to core components such as electric air compressors and stacks to complete fuel cell modules is part of the automotive portfolio. Mass production is expected to start this year.