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E-mobility for the last mile

Bosch launches new electric drive for light commercial vehicles

  • Compact drive module includes electric motor and inverter
  • Greater range and improved efficiency thanks to new power semiconductors
  • Drive module now launched at customer
Joern Ebberg

Joern Ebberg

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Stuttgart, Germany – Vans and medium-sized trucks are the beating heart of urban goods traffic. Powered electrically, they are locally emission-free, contribute to better air quality and reduce noise pollution for residents. Bosch is now starting volume production of a new drive unit for such light commercial vehicles, consisting of an electric motor and an integrated inverter. The inverter controls the electric motor and provides the connection to the high-voltage battery. “Bosch is driving forward e-mobility also in commercial vehicles. Compared to its predecessors, the new unit provides even higher power and torque density and is even lighter and more compact,” says Dr. Markus Heyn, member of the Bosch board of management and chairman of the Mobility Solutions business sector. Together, the motor and inverter weight is around 80 kilograms. Bosch has reduced electrical losses by more than 20 percent using new power semiconductors, which enables an inverter efficiency level of 97 percent, thereby increasing the vehicles’ range. Thanks to the flexible construction, it is also now even easier to integrate the drive module into existing and new vehicle models.

The electric drive will make its debut at the customer Daimler Truck, supplemented by a DC/DC converter and the vehicle control unit from Bosch for the drivetrain. The unit’s maximum power is 129 kW, while the continuous power is 100 kW. For a short time, the permanent-magnet synchronous machine can generate a peak torque of 430 Nm. Even at a vehicle weight of 8.5 tons, this ensures superior driving performance in every situation – including in hilly cities such as Tokyo, Rome, or San Francisco.

Bosch is driving forward e-mobility also in commercial vehicles. Compared to its predecessors, the new unit provides even higher power and torque density and is even lighter and more compact

says Dr. Markus Heyn, member of the Bosch board of management and chairman of the Mobility Solutions business sector.

A good basis made even better

The Bosch engineers have based the design of the electric motor and the inverter on the technology used in the passenger car segment. This not only speeded up the development phase considerably, but also helped cutting costs. By embedding the electric drive module in the vehicles’ existent water-cooling circuit, an oil-based cooling circuit is no longer necessary. Furthermore, the high rotational speed of the electric motor ensures a single-speed transmission to be sufficient to meet all requirements. The smaller dimensions of the new electric drive mean that a battery made up of a single part can now be used. New microcontrollers offer considerably more computing power to process the complex control algorithms of the electric drive within milliseconds. In this context, the software is largely responsible for the behavior of the electric drive and can be tailored to customers’ specific requirements. The drive module will roll off the production line in Hildesheim, Germany, the Bosch lead plant for electric drives.

Wide range of products and high level of investment

“Bosch has already invested over five billion euros in e-mobility,” says Heyn. Since 2018, the company has acquired 170 production projects. Sales revenue is expected to exceed the five-billion euro mark in 2025. Bosch has a broad portfolio of products available to customers, ranging from individual sensors, electric motors, power electronics and electronic control units to integrated solutions such as the eAxle, right through to pre-integrated modules. The advanced driving module, for example, which integrates the drive, steering and brakes, offers simplified interfaces and thus improves communication between the components. This ensures optimal interplay between the electric vehicle’s systems and subassemblies – e.g., in terms of vehicle stabilization or energy recuperation, as well as a significantly shorter time-to-market. As a result, both established manufacturers and new providers can get their electric vehicles on the roads quicker than ever before.

BOSCH PRESS CONFERENCE: Monday, September 19, 2022, from 11:10 to 11:30 CEST: with Dr. Markus Heyn, member of the Bosch board of management and chairman of the Mobility Solutions business sector, at the Bosch booth B22 in hall 20 and via livestream on the Bosch Media Service.

Panels with Bosch experts at the IAA Conference:

  • Tuesday, September 20, 14:15 – 15:15 CEST in the Industry Forum: Presentation:“How to manage the operational challenges of multi-brand commercial EV fleets” by Michael Köhler, Senior Vice President Business Unit Battery, at Robert Bosch GmbH
  • Tuesday, September 20, 17:30 – 17:45 CEST on the Main Stage: Keynote: “Powertrain solutions for future transportation” by Jürgen Häusser, Vice President Product Management Commercial Vehicle & Off-Road at Robert Bosch GmbH
  • Wednesday, September 21, 17:00 – 19:00 CEST at the Cummins booth (hall 20, booth A12):
    “Open dialog on the hydrogen engine” with Dr. Andreas Kufferath, Engineering System Diesel Powertrain at Robert Bosch GmbH
  • Thursday, September 22, 11:30 – 12:00 CEST on the Main Stage: Presentation: “Global digitization in logistics” by Mariella Minutolo, Executive VP Progressive Mobility Players at Robert Bosch GmbH

Presskit: Bosch at the IAA 2022

Event: Bosch press conference at the IAA Transportation 2022


FOLLOW the Bosch IAA 2022 highlights at www.bosch-iaa.com and on Twitter: @BoschPress, #BoschIAA

About Bosch

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. It employs roughly 429,000 associates worldwide (as of December 31, 2023). The company generated sales of 91.6 billion euros in 2023. Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. With its business activities, the company aims to use technology to help shape universal trends such as automation, electrification, digitalization, connectivity, and an orientation to sustainability. In this context, Bosch’s broad diversification across regions and industries strengthens its innovativeness and robustness. Bosch uses its proven expertise in sensor technology, software, and services to offer customers cross-domain solutions from a single source. It also applies its expertise in connectivity and artificial intelligence in order to develop and manufacture user-friendly, sustainable products. With technology that is “Invented for life,” Bosch wants to help improve quality of life and conserve natural resources. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 470 subsidiary and regional companies in over 60 countries. Including sales and service partners, Bosch’s global manufacturing, engineering, and sales network covers nearly every country in the world. Bosch’s innovative strength is key to the company’s further development. At 136 locations across the globe, Bosch employs some 90,000 associates in research and development, of which nearly 48,000 are software engineers.

The company was set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861–1942) as “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering.” The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake significant upfront investments in the safeguarding of its future. Ninety-four percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a charitable foundation. The remaining shares are held by Robert Bosch GmbH and by a corporation owned by the Bosch family. The majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG. It is entrusted with the task of safeguarding the company’s long-term existence and in particular its financial independence – in line with the mission handed down in the will of the company’s founder, Robert Bosch.

Additional information is available online at www.bosch.com, www.iot.bosch.com, www.bosch-press.com.

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