Global automotive supplier Bosch announced a variety of advanced high-tech transportation solutions at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show — including the launch of a  hydrogen engine later this year.

CES 2024 kicked off in Las Vegas, Nevada, with a press briefing from Bosch about the varied and wide-ranging transportation technology solutions it is pursuing.

“To help us meet our global energy needs in a resource-efficient way, Bosch is focusing on digitalization, electrification, and hydrogen,” said Tanja Rückert, member of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH.

Mike Mansuetti, president of Bosch in North America, said one of the company’s cutting-edge initiatives is “actively promoting hydrogen as a pillar of future mobility.”

In addition to electrification, Mansuetti said Bosch sees hydrogen as a key to meeting global energy demand in a resource-efficient way. He noted that Bosch is investing extensively in technologies along the hydrogen value chain.

The company’s initial focus is on mobile fuel-cell technology, which recently went into production in Stuttgart. Bosch supplies the hydrogen fuel-cell system for the Nikola Tre Class 8 FCBEV. Mansuetti added that Bosch has already received its first orders from truck manufacturers in Europe, the U.S., and China.

HDT conducted a walk-around of a new hydrogen-powered Nikola Tre FCEV on Sunday ahead of CES 2024 and took it for a brief test drive.

Hydrogen Truck Engine in 2024

Mansuetti also announced that Bosch is working on components for a hydrogen fuel engine, which he said would provide "diesel-like" performance for heavy-duty transportation applications such as long-haul trucking, construction machinery, and other heavy-duty vehicles. These engines will be offered with both port- and direct-injection variants.

Bosch expects to launch this new engine technology later this year in Europe.

Countries and industries around the world are investing in hydrogen technologies, Mansuetti added. He noted that the U.S. government is pushing ahead with the development of H2 infrastructure and investing $7 billion in the construction of hydrogen hubs.

“The H2 hubs are an important building block for establishing a hydrogen infrastructure,” Mansuetti said. “We at Bosch support these measures and are exploring participation in several of these hubs. Our goal is to help drive forward the clean-energy economy in North America. This is an area where we can contribute our expertise in the production and provisioning of hydrogen.”