Bosch makes another bet on fuel cell technology
Bloomberg
Bosch, the world鈥檚 largest auto-parts supplier, says it continues to believe that hydrogen fuel cell trucks and cars will play a key role in future mobility, and has taken a further step to advance the technology. The company joined forces with fuel cell stack maker Powercell Sweden to co-develop polymer-electrolyte membrane fuel cells that Bosch will then manufacture under a global license, . it expects the fuel-cell business to be worth 鈥渂illions of euros鈥� for the company over the long term and estimates that as much as 20 percent of electric vehicles worldwide will be powered by fuel cells by 2030.
Fuel cells could extend the range of electric cars and shorten refuelling times significantly. But they have struggled to gain traction because of high cost, a lack of infrastructure and the complexity of storing hydrogen. The automotive industry is split over the question of whether fuel cells will be used in many cars in the future. While Volkswagen is focusing on pure battery-electric cars, other companies, including Daimler, continue to promote the technology. German e-car pioneer G眉nther Schuh, who runs e-car start-up e.GO Mobile and also develops a hybrid 鈥淎ir Taxi鈥�, advocates the use of fuel cells as a range extender for electric cars because he believes it makes more economic and environmental sense than using huge batteries.
