Bosch and Qingling’s new fuel cell joint venture

Bosch said it is taking the next step to help fuel cells as emission-free drive solutions achieve a global breakthrough through a new joint in China.

Together with the commercial vehicle manufacturer Qingling Motors, the company has now established a joint venture in China, named Bosch Hydrogen Powertrain Systems (Chongqing) Co. Ltd.

The new company will develop, assemble and market fuel cell systems – so-called Fuel Cell Power Modules – for the Chinese market.

Bosch said the goal is to pool the technology and market expertise of both partners and contribute to the development of the Chinese fuel cell market and the transformation of the automotive industry there.

According to the Energy Saving and New Energy Vehicle Technology Roadmap 2.0 by the China Society of Automotive Engineers (China-SAE), more than one million vehicles with fuel cell drive systems could be registered in China by 2030, said Bosch.

The joint venture aims to provide all Chinese vehicle manufacturers with fuel cell systems. The components required for this, such as the fuel cell stack, air compressor with power electronics, and control unit with sensors, come from Bosch, mainly from the plant in Wuxi, China. Small-scale production will start there this year.

Also in 2021, a test fleet of 70 Qingling trucks equipped with Bosch’s Fuel Cell Power Module will hit the road. The market launch of the fuel cell system is planned for 2022/2023.