Bosch to focus on electrification, hydrogen technology in big way

Auto-components major Bosch India, part of Germany’s Bosch, a leading supplier of technology and services in the areas of mobility solutions, industrial technology and consumer goods, is betting big on electrification and hydrogen technology in the automotive segment.

Though hydrogen is relatively new in India for the company, Bosch said there have  been off late several actions happening with several OEMs. As part of the electrification push, the company will be at looking localisation of the EV-related products. It is also entering into production of new braking system for hybrid and electric vehicles.

The company globally has been investing in electrification, hydrogen and other advanced automotive technologies, over the last ten years. It has been investing around 500 million euros, year on year, in developing electrification components and systems. That has yielded good results and the company and lot of things have seen the light of the day.

Soumitra Bhattacharya, MD, Bosch Ltd and president Bosch Group India told a select goup of media persons in order to stay relevant in the mobility space, the company is focusing on what the parent company is good at: to give innovated and affordable Indian solutions under PACE- personlised, automated, connected and elecified theme.

Speaking on the sidelines of inauguration of its first smart campus in Adugadi in Bengaluru, he said that the company has been working with Indian government for the last 15 years on the theme of reducing road accidents. Bosch has globally committed to help reducing the road deaths by half by 2025. “Our new braking system for hybrid and electric vehicles is one such expmaple towards this commitment,” he said.

Bosch, which is a market leader in power tools will be soon getting into connected power tools, as well. Bosch in India has 15 group companies, 18 manufacturing units and is present in 76 locations, in eight different states in the form of sales offices and warehouses. The company has in India the largest engineering and R&D centre outside of Germany.

“Last year, we had a turnover of Rs 22,000 crore despite Covid impact, and we want to see improvement on that front this year,” he said. The company will be hiring around 5,500 to 6,000 people across all its group companies in India this year.

Bosch on Thursday inaugurated its first smart campus in Bengaluru, the largest in the world, outside Germany. The new facility is located in Adugodi, Bosch’s India headquarters. The company has invested over Rs 800 crore towards its development. The new smart campus will accommodate over 10,000 employees and the 76-acre campus will focus on sustainability, security, and user experience.

Bhattacharya, said: “Bosch has been part of the transformation in India for the last 100 years, and during this era we have revolutionised the mobility and the ‘beyond mobility’ ecosystem. With our new  campus, the company continues to invest in smart and sustainable solutions that are ‘Invented for life’ and supports the government’s vision for an Atmanirbhar Bharat.”

The company has invested Rs 50 crore (6 million euros) in the reduction of energy consumption at new Adugodi campus over the long term. The campus will meet up to 85% of its total energy needs with in-house solar panels and the purchase of green group captive power.