Highlights of 2024

At the CES, Bosch presents a cold-climate heat pump designed for extreme weather conditions, such as those found in North America. At an outdoor temperature of minus 15 degrees Celsius, the heat pump delivers 100 percent heating capacity, and still works even when temperatures hit minus 25 degrees. With this energy-efficient cold-climate heat pump, homes can now be heated and cooled in nearly every region of the United States.

Bosch is the world’s first supplier to exploit the advantages of “tabless” design in rechargeable battery cells. This design now features in its 18-volt cordless power tools. The new technology reduces bottlenecks in cell design, and allows batteries to run up to 71 percent longer than conventional lithium-ion ones. The new rechargeable batteries are not only more powerful, but also last longer.

Bosch debuts a powerful BioMEMS chip for use in Vivalytic, its fully automatic, molecular-diagnostic analysis platform. The chip adds a further innovative analysis method to the Vivalytic test cartridge, enabling it to test simultaneously for up to 250 genetic characteristics. In this way, pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi can be identified fully automatically in less than 15 minutes. Point-of-care molecular diagnostics is expected to become a market worth billions. Bosch aims to achieve a leading position in this market.

Together with partners in the hydrogen business, Bosch Rexroth is developing a scalable portfolio of servohydraulic drives for compressors. One example is a new cryopump that compresses liquid hydrogen to 875 bar, making it possible to directly refuel heavy trucks within just a few minutes. Starting in 2025, the first filling stations are to be equipped with these cryopumps. Its engineering partner is FirstElement Fuel, the market leader for hydrogen filling stations in the United States.

Bosch Ventures, the company’s corporate venture capital unit, is investing in the German startup cylib. In an investment round to which several investors contribute, cylib is granted 55 million euros in order to scale up its resource-conserving and climate-friendly process for recycling raw materials from battery packs. In addition, Bosch is supporting the U.S. battery-recycling company Li Industries. In a financing round led by Bosch Ventures, the company is provided with funds worth some 33 million euros.

At the Bosch TechDay, the company presents its eBrake to Zero software. This function prevents the irksome jolt that occurs shortly after a vehicle comes to a stop. As a result, braking in situations such as stop-and-go traffic is a much more pleasant experience, and travel sickness can be avoided. The function also noticeably improves vehicle noise during braking.

BSH Hausgeräte GmbH is expanding its global manufacturing network. In the future, it will be manufacturing in Mexico as well. In Monterrey, Nuevo León province, French door bottom-mount fridges will now start rolling off the production lines. BSH is investing some 240 million euros there, and expects that the plant will create roughly 1,500 skilled jobs in the region.

With the digital Range Control function, Bosch is adding to its smart system for e-bikes. With the help of AI, battery range is computed. This allows riders to choose how much battery charge they want to be left with when they arrive at their destination. Then, during the ride, assistance from the motor is adapted to ensure that the desired residual range remains when the destination is reached. In this process, the AI learns from real-time data, so that its estimates become ever more precise.

The company plans to acquire the residential and light commercial HVAC business from Johnson Controls. The acquisition is subject to approvals from the antitrust authorities. For the acquired businesses, the purchase price is 8 billion dollars (7.4 billion euros). The transaction is the biggest acquisition in Bosch history.

In Dresden, Germany, the TSMC, Bosch, Infineon, and NXP joint venture lays the foundation stone for a shared plant. The new ESMC fab is planned to have a monthly production capacity of 40,000 300-millimeter wafers. Start of production is planned for the end of 2027. The new plant will create roughly 2,000 high-tech jobs.

The Bosch Road Hazard service gives drivers early warning of possible hazards on the road ahead, such as cloudbursts, ice, poor visibility, accidents, breakdowns, and construction zones. After debuting this service for passenger cars, Bosch is now also providing it for trucks. This real-time service has been available in Mercedes-Benz trucks since December 2024.

The new building in Yokohama covers just under 53,000 square meters. In the future, some 2,000 associates from eight locations in the Tokyo and Yokohama metropolitan areas will work together in the new headquarters. The focus of engineering activities in the new building is on driver assistance systems and automated driving. Bosch is investing 270 million euros in the new location – the biggest single investment in the history of Bosch in Japan.

At EICMA, the leading trade fair for motorcycles, Bosch presents six new radar-based assistance systems, five of them world premieres. Bosch accident research suggests that one in six accidents on German roads alone can be prevented by the new assistance systems, instead of one in seven up to now. With its research and technology, Bosch is pursuing the aim of accident-free mobility.

The two companies plan to set up a joint venture to develop and market e-axles for light trucks. To this venture, Bosch will contribute its core competencies in the development of solutions for electromobility, and Jiangling Motors its expertise in the vehicle sector and knowledge of the local market. Bosch intends to hold 60 percent of the shares in the joint venture, Jiangling Motors 40 percent.

On an area of roughly 300,000 square meters, associates at the new Bosch location in Suzhou will focus on the research into and development of core components for passenger cars and trucks. Construction work on the campus began in March 2023. In the years ahead, it is planned to invest some 950 million euros in the new location.

As part of his “Workshop of Change” tour, Federal German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visits the Bosch research campus in Renningen, Germany. The federal president’s aim is to draw attention to places where transformation has been successful. On the research campus, he gains insights into the rapidly changing way AI is used in engineering and manufacturing, as well as in Bosch products.

Under the CHIPS and Science Act, Bosch and the U.S. Department of Commerce have signed a preliminary memorandum of terms. This proposes up to 225 million dollars in direct funding to help finance the refurbishment of the Bosch plant in Roseville, California. Bosch plans to invest as much as 1.9 billion dollars to transform the Roseville plant into a manufacturing facility for silicon-carbide semiconductors. Start of production is planned for 2026.

Bosch signs agreements to sell its Video, Access and Intrusion, and Communication business units to the European private equity company Triton. The business units’ 4,300 associates at more than 90 locations worldwide will be taken over. The transaction is subject to approval by the authorities. In the future, the Bosch Building Technologies division will focus on its regional integrator business, with solutions and services for building security, energy efficiency, and building automation.