Bosch is entering the market for mobile fuel cells for trucks and cars and has formed an alliance with Powercell Sweden AB, the Swedish manufacturer of fuel-cell stacks that convert hydrogen into electrical energy.

Under the agreement, the two partners will work jointly to make the polymer-electrolyte membrane fuel cell ready for production; Bosch will then manufacture the stacks under licence for the international automotive market.

They will complement the Bosch portfolio of fuel-cell components and will be launched in 2022 at the latest.

Bosch board member Stefan Hartung said: “Bosch already has a strong hand in the fuel-cell domain, and the alliance with Powercell makes it even stronger.

“Commercialising technology is one of our strengths; we are now going to take on this task with determination and develop the fuel-cell market.”

Over the long term, the mobile fuel-cell business is potentially worth billions of euros for Bosch. It estimates that up to 20% of the world’s electric vehicles will be powered by fuel cells in 2030.

Once they have become established in trucks, Bosch fuel-cell powertrains will increasingly find their way into passenger cars, but their cost needs to be progressively reduced for this to happen.

The biggest cost item is the stack; it accounts for nearly two-thirds of the total cost of a fuel-cell system.

Dr Hartung added: “Through commercialisation and widespread marketing of this technology, Bosch will achieve economies of scale and push down costs.”