Bosch investing $200M in Anderson, hiring 350.

• Date: 31 August 2022

Bosch will invest more than $200 million into its Anderson campus to create the manufacturing capacity to build hydrogen fuel cell stacks that power big trucks. It means at least 350 new jobs by the time production begins in 2026.

Fuel cells utilize hydrogen to produce electricity onboard the vehicle through a chemical process, without combustion. FCEVs are zero-emission vehicles, according to the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association. They produce no tailpipe pollution except water vapor. In addition, compared to internal combustion vehicles, FCEVs greatly reduce greenhouse gas carbon emissions even when accounting for the full hydrogen fuel life cycle.

If that sounds like the future, it is, says Christian Kolzem, senior vice president and technical plant manager for Bosch.

"It is absolutely the future," Kolzem said, adding that the switch to electrification is a worldwide trend, with fuel cells part of the mix. "Hydrogen is one of the solutions. The entire electrification is battery applications and it's the future. Bosch estimates based on current knowledge that 20% of the entire Electrification 2030 [an electrification goal by many carmakers] will be based on the fuel cell. We see applications, we work closely together with Nikola, we see other applications that are coming into the market. So we are absolutely convinced that this is the right technology we are banking on."

Bosch today announced that the Anderson plant will produce stacks, the heart of a fuel cell power module that will...