Bosch announces hydrogen-powered lorry project

Bosch and Nikola Motor Company have teamed up to bring a hydrogen-electric lorry to market.

Nikola, a Utah-based organisation, has announced that it will produce the Nikola One and Two by 2021, and that a hydrogen-electric powertrain that delivers more than 1,000bhp and 2,700Nm of torque will provide the power.

Bosch is helping the American company to develop the powertrain, with its technical knowledge speeding the project’s development up considerably.

Trevor Milton, founder and CEO of Nikola, said: “We have been aggressively pursuing our goal of bringing the most advanced semi-truck ever built to market.

“The powertrain requires an innovative and flexible partner able to adapt quickly to the speed of our team. Bosch has empowered us to come to market quickly with automotive-grade hardware and software so our vision can become a reality.”

Bosch’s eAxle – a scalable, modular platform for electric vehicles – is providing the basis for the new Nikola truck, and the two companies will work together to develop a dual-motor commercial eAxle suitable for a long-haul truck.

Nikola and Tesla will also develop a custom-designed fuel cell system that will be paired with the eAxle, and will deliver “benchmark vehicle range”. The companies claim the zero local emission powertrain has been designed to “achieve segment-leading performance at a competitive total cost of ownership to traditional powertrains”.

Markus Heyn, member of the Bosch board of management responsible for the commercial vehicle organisation, said: “Breakthrough mobility technology requires visionary targets, speed to-market and disciplined structure to ensure long-term success.

“Together with Nikola we are pushing ourselves to realise new levels of technological achievement and market penetration.”