Bosch highlights essential role of software in its products at Software Day 2023

Plymouth, Mich. – Across its broad portfolio of solutions, software lives at the core of Bosch solutions that deliver on the company’s “Invented for Life” brand promise. At Software Day 2023, Bosch in North America is highlighting its history, expertise and future potential of software and the essential role of software across the company’s four sectors: mobility, industrial technology, consumer goods and energy and building technology.

The company is announcing plans for growth in its Bosch Mobility business sector, fueled by software. It will demonstrate how decades of experience in vehicle motion have been applied to a new software-only solution as well as how software is utilized in interior sensing to detect driver distraction and drowsiness behaviors as well as children left behind in a vehicle.

Bosch is also announcing a new intelligent transportation systems deployment in the M1 Intelligent Corridor in Detroit that is powered by Bosch AI technology. By enabling smart infrastructure with intelligent AI-powered video sensors and cloud-based data services Bosch helps to improve safety and efficiency of roads.

“Our associates are utilizing software to deliver product experiences that delight our customers across the region and throughout the world,” said Mike Mansuetti, president of Bosch in North America. “We have a strong legacy of software expertise to build from to continue pushing the possibilities utilizing software.”

Intelligent Traffic Systems in new M-1 Intelligent Corridor
The role of software in the company’s cross-domain expertise is seen in the use of video cameras for Intelligent Traffic Systems. The company announced at Software Day its role in the M1 Intelligent Corridor, an $11.5 million project with $5 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Bosch is collaborating with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the City of Detroit, WSP Michigan Inc., MH Corbin, Derq USA and Wayne State University. The project will deploy and evaluate an intelligent transportation network along the M-1 (Woodward Avenue) transportation corridor to serve the citizens of Detroit and surrounding communities.

The Bosch contribution includes both hardware and software-as-a-service. Software powers edge computing and data analytics to help optimize transportation systems. The deployment will feature pedestrian detection, prioritization and alerts; traffic intersection preemption and signal priority for authorized vehicles; and vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications.

“Ultimately Bosch hardware and software solutions work together to solve the challenge of inefficient road traffic,” Mansuetti said. “Our intelligent cameras with on-board AI and edge computing enable real-time alerts and data to help improve safety and efficiency.”

Software-defined vehicle growth enabled by 40+ years of software expertise
By 2029, Bosch Mobility in the Americas aims to contribute around $20 billion annually to the global revenue of Bosch Mobility. This would represent an increase from approximately one fifth of global Bosch Mobility revenue in 2022 to approximately one quarter of global Bosch Mobility revenue by 2029. A major driver of that growth will be the company’s software expertise as the industry doubles down on the software-defined vehicle.

Bosch has a long history in mobility software – more than four decades – and the company is comfortable in various business models for software based on customer needs. As software and hardware de-coupling increases, Bosch has strong experience already supporting customers in software-defined vehicle solutions. Bosch Mobility has recently booked significant business in the Americas with lifetime revenues amounting to several billion dollars spanning hardware plus software as well as software-only solutions.

Beginning in 2023, the Americas region will already realize revenue in the billions annually from hardware plus software projects including driver assistance, vehicle architecture, powertrain and vehicle motion.

“Our expertise in software means we can provide customers a variety of solutions,” said Paul Thomas, who will assume the role of president, Americas for Bosch Mobility beginning January 2024. “It’s essential to be comfortable in different software business models and approaches to capture the benefits of the software-defined vehicle that ultimately bring benefit to drivers on the road.”

Software is evident across the Bosch Mobility portfolio. Already more than half of its R&D associates globally for the mobility business are software engineers and the company produces more than 250 million control units globally every year, all configured with its proprietary software. At Software Day, Bosch is showcasing software solutions ranging from vehicle motion and battery management to monitoring inside the vehicle for driver drowsiness, children left behind or if someone smoked in a rental vehicle.

Software Day Highlights
Vehicle motion management shows how the reorganization of Bosch Mobility and intensified cross-divisional collaboration is conducive to software-defined vehicle approaches in engineering. For 45 years, Bosch has been developing solutions for vehicle motion beginning with the introduction of anti-lock braking in 1978 and electronic stability control, also known as ESP®, in 1995. Bosch has continued to introduce motion software features and functions that are available in advanced braking, steering and powertrain solutions.

Now the company is launching Vehicle Dynamics Control 2.0, which incorporates all the company’s hardware and software knowledge to seamlessly enable multi-actuator motion control. This helps to potentially shorten braking distances and can help the driver to take fewer corrective actions regarding controlling the vehicle. The Vehicle Dynamics Control can be deployed as a software-only solution independent of any Bosch hardware and can be integrated for example in a central vehicle computer. In the United States, the software is applicable for market-specific developments like trucks and electrification.

Software is a tool to help consumers get to know their batteries better. Range anxiety is a major barrier to mass EV adoption and the Bosch software-as-a-service solution Battery in the Cloud helps to address this challenge by forming a digital twin of the battery and collecting data periodically from the vehicle. Information from Battery in the Cloud can help to enable increased battery life or charging speed based on individual driving profiles, projections on aging of a battery three to eight years in the future and even provide a usage certificate regarding the battery health to support residual value of the vehicle or second life use of the battery.

Bosch interior sensing solutions help to enhance safety, comfort, and convenience for all vehicle occupants. The system leverages different hardware approaches as interior cabin-sensing radar is combined with an occupant monitoring camera. Software brings the system together through sensor fusion merging multiple types of sensing data. Software algorithms are capable of aiding in the detection of specific scenarios in the vehicle including driver drowsiness and driver impairment based on eye behavior. Additionally, the system utilizes new methods for detecting if a child has been left behind in a vehicle. Interior sensing solutions from Bosch help to fulfill requirements defined in regulations and consumer testing programs like the European New Car Assessment Program.

For the company’s RideCare Insight solution, software engineers have worked to help rental company operators and fleet owners know when someone has smoked in the vehicle or damaged the vehicle during a rental. This data combined with vehicle data allows a rental return agent a complete picture of the vehicle condition from the start to the end of the rental. The solution combines Bosch expertise in sensors as the Bosch BMI270 IMU (Accelerometer/Gyroscope) sensor – which can be found in smartphone and smart watches – helps to detect crashes while a combination of sensors allows for smoking detection. A smoking detection algorithm helps to detect a likely smoking event – cigarette, vaping or similar product – inside a vehicle event even if it is as short as 30 seconds.

“Software is the lifeblood of our solutions,” Thomas said. “Software enhances our hardware and also powers new software-as-a-service offerings that diversify our portfolio of offerings to help us achieve our goals in the Americas.”

Sales in North America increase as organization invests for growth
Bosch ended its 2022 fiscal year with $15.1 billion (14.3 euros) in sales to third parties, an increase of nearly 12 percent year-over-year. The region achieved total net sales of more than $16 billion USD when accounting for internal sales. The Mobility Solutions business sector increased sales by more than 12 percent to nearly $9 billion USD in the North American region. Energy and Building Technology as well as Industrial Technology business sectors both posted double digit growth in the region. Energy and Building Technology increased by around 30 percent to more than $1.3 billion while Industrial Technology increased around 20 percent to more than $1.2 billion. After two straight years of double-digit growth in 2020 and 2021, the Consumer Goods business sector once again achieved sales of $3.5 billion USD in 2022, which equaled 2021.

To build on its success in the North American region, Bosch is investing for growth. In April 2023, the company announced plans to acquire U.S. chipmaker TSI Semiconductors in Roseville, California. The company intends to invest more than $1.5 billion USD in the site for upgrades to produce silicon carbide chips for electromobility.

“The North American market – and in particular the United States – holds strong promise for growth at Bosch as part of a diverse global portfolio,” Mansuetti said. “We are focused on identifying and delivering products and services that meet the regional needs of our customers across all areas of our business.”