Bosch, a German based auto components maker is working to provide hybrid vehicle solutions. Jan Roehrl, executive vice-president and chief technology officer of Bosch, said that they are working with Indian original equipment manufacturers (OEM) to achieve the same. “In the near future, you will see hybrids from Indian OEM’s and just not only from the global counterparts,” he said, also saying that they are exploring both diesel and petrol variants in India. “This is about providing a technology that is serving a greater target of emission free and CO2 neutral mobility solution.”
At this time, India is a lucrative market as there are millions of vehicles on road and are looking to change all the vehicles to electric ones. Especially the lack of infrastructure for charging the battery makes India an attractive target. “In a hybrid vehicle, one can charge the battery while riding without being bothered about the infrastructure,” Jan said. He did not mention how many OEM’s Bosch is currently working with.
The company expects that, internal combustion engines will be 80%of the Indian market and 80% of the global market by 2030. The board members of the parent company Robert Bosch GmbH, Roehrl and Markus, think that they will get their start in the two and three wheeler segment of vehicles. Although, the cost of this will remain high.
Markus Heyn said, “A 48-volt battery for example will be a cheaper option than larger batteries and so electrification in India can start with two-wheelers where there is lesser range anxiety than passenger cars.”
The company has received an opportunity to acquire 70 new projects in India, worth approximately Rs. 24,000 crore. This was possible due to the transition from BS-IV to BS-VI. It has also opened up revenue opportunities in various spaces like, gasoline and powertrain.
