Bosch Mobility will display its hydrogen technology at the Cenex Expo on September 4th and 5th. The industry-only event brings together businesses and government who in the coming years will together deliver the future of mobility, whether it is net zero, connected, or automated. Bosch’s hydrogen portfolio has been developed to make hydrogen mobility a reality on UK roads in the near future. 

Hydrogen value chain

Bosch is H2 ready and was an early mover in areas such as the development of fuel cell technology. Along the entire hydrogen value chain, the company is developing technologies for the production, compression, storage, and use of hydrogen. In the mobility sphere there are already trucks on the road that are powered by the Bosch fuel cell powertrain. By 2030, Bosch estimates that worldwide one in five trucks that weigh more than six tonnes will be powered by fuel cells.

The stack for mobile applications comprises many individual fuel cells. Depending on the output required, there can be several hundred of them. In these cells, hydrogen reacts with oxygen to produce electricity and water. The membrane inside a fuel cell prevents electricity from flowing between the anode and the cathode. At the same time, it also prevents the hydrogen from crossing over to the oxygen. The membrane is proton-conducting, and allows hydrogen ions to permeate. One of the technologies used when manufacturing the bipolar plates is high-speed laser welding – a process that only exists at Bosch. It is used to make 1,200 meters of welds in each stack hydrogen-tight.

Bosch Mobility is also investing in hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines and this technology will be explained in a fireside chat featuring Innovation Lead at Bosch UK, Bharath Jayakumar. The talk will take place in the Hydrogen Technology Showcase on Thursday 5th September at 14.15.

Act-by-Wire

Bosch Mobility’s act-by-wire technology is another innovation that will be shown at the Cenex Expo. This replaces the mechanical connections between the steering wheel and brake pedal and the respective actuators of the steering and braking systems with electrical signal lines. This makes new functions possible that provide assistance in critical driving situations and even avoid such situations altogether. They also enhance comfort and vehicle agility.

At the same time, they open up new possibilities for the design of the human-machine interface and of the vehicle interior. Act-by-wire solutions reduce the number of variants for left-hand- and right-hand-drive vehicles, allow brake and steering actuator installation to be optimised for safety in accidents, and take up less installation space. For safety purposes, redundancy is included in the design of the braking and steering actuators, power supply, and communication of act-by-wire systems. 

Mobility technology

Bosch Mobility experts will be available to discuss a variety of Bosch’s most exciting automotive technology. This includes Battery-in-the-Cloud, charging services, vehicle energy management and thermal management.

Bosch’s partners ETAS and MoTeC will also be present at Cenex Expo 2024, which takes place at UTAC Millbrook. Visitors are required to register at the event website, www.cenex-expo.com.