A new voice for decarbonised mobility

Decarbonising road transport is a major task, and a vital one if we are to reach net zero.

The Internal Combustion Engine was historically successful because variations of the technology covered a massive range of varied use cases. It was a one-size-fits-all solution to powering mobility, but its time is now coming to an end.

Bosch’s approach to this challenge has always been technologically-neutral, and Bosch believes that given the wide range of mobility use cases, we should adopt different approaches to different situations. An urban taxi is very different to a long-distance coach or a combine harvester- why does it need to be powered in the same way?

The real goal is to make sure that every vehicle is powered by renewable energy, whether renewable synthetic fuel, green electricity or green hydrogen.

Bosch sees the Hydrogen Engine - a combustion engine that runs on hydrogen rather than conventional fuel - as a solution to replace the internal combustion engine for some applications, especially larger vehicles like heavy trucks and for off-road uses like construction and agriculture.

In terms of robustness, fast availability and cost, the hydrogen engine represents a very attractive technology option for reaching carbon-neutrality. As with all technologies, there are trade-offs. Unlike an electric vehicle, there are some exhaust emissions, but by using existing methods like SCR units we can make these close to zero with no relevant impact on air quality.

The Hydrogen engine is also sustainable in terms of materials required for assembly and operation. Their need for strategically important materials like cobalt, nickel, lithium or rare earths is negligible. The Hydrogen engine can be made using existing production facilities and methods, so they can be brought to market quickly and efficiently. In an increasingly uncertain world, this resilience is a real advantage.

So where does the Hydrogen Engine Alliance come in?

Bosch has been interested in hydrogen engines for several years; as early as 2018 we were finding promising results from the technology, and interest from customers was growing. However, we did not have much of an appetite amongst the stakeholders to consider hydrogen engines as an option.

As time has gone on and more industry partners saw the potential in the technology- there are currently around 100 projects running across the world - we detected more and more frustration that hydrogen engines were not being considered as a solution; and so a group of industry partners and research institutions decided to join forces to promote the technology.

We launched the Hydrogen Engine Alliance earlier this year, with members from across the vehicle and engine industry, suppliers, the energy sectors and research institutions. Our goal is to promote the possibilities and potential of hydrogen engine technology, supporting a fact-based and neutral discussion on the topic.

Are hydrogen engines a magic way of decarbonising transport? No. But they are very much a robust, practical and commercially viable part of the solution.