【Commercial Vehicle Xinnet Original】
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Bosch Powertrain Co., Ltd. and 20 years of Bosch serving the Chinese commercial vehicle market. Coinciding with the 2024 Beijing Auto Show, Bosch Powerstation is at a new starting point in 20 years, and what changes and new actions will take place in China, the world's largest commercial vehicle market?
On April 27, during the Beijing Motor Show, Wang Weiliang, President of the Board of Directors of Bosch Intelligent Mobility Group China and President of Bosch Power Systems China, was interviewed by commercial vehicle news and other commercial vehicle professional media.
The Commercial Vehicle Group was established
Whether it is the upgrading of the commercial vehicle industry, the diversification of powertrain solutions, or the continuous technological innovation in emerging fields, and the new growth of commercial vehicles going overseas, it is the great changes that have taken place and are taking place in China's commercial vehicle market in recent years.
In 2004, China's commercial vehicles are facing the policy requirements of the national III emission upgrade, and it is a huge turning point from mechanical pumps to electronic control, and it is also a huge opportunity for Bosch powertrains.
Twenty years later, China's commercial vehicle market has undergone new changes, and the transformation to high-end, intelligent and green is an inevitable trend.
The establishment of the Bosch China Commercial Vehicle Group is a proactive solution to change. Wang Weiliang said that as the world's largest commercial vehicle market, China's commercial vehicle industry is booming. In order to deeply empower the industrial transformation and help customers lead the commercial vehicle track, Bosch officially established the Commercial Vehicle Group this year to strengthen cross-domain cooperation and provide full-stack technology solutions for commercial vehicles.
On May 1, Bosch China Commercial Vehicle Group will be officially established, Wang Weiliang said that Mr. Johannes Dehn, vice president of technology who has been working and living in China for 15 years, will be the CTO of Bosch China Commercial Vehicle Group. Zhu Jifeng, Vice President of Sales at Bosch Powertrain Co., Ltd., will become Bosch Commercial Vehicle CMO in China, i.e. Head of Marketing and Customers.
The purpose of the establishment of the Commercial Vehicle Group is to connect technology and market to form a full-stack solution, so as to build Bosch's platform-based competitiveness. "We are committed to building a platform for diverse and intelligent commercial vehicle powertrains, intelligent electronic steering technology for commercial vehicles, and autonomous driving technology for commercial vehicles, which also includes electronically controlled pneumatic braking systems (EBS) and heavy-duty electric axles, as well as thermal management systems and alternative fuels. Wang Weiliang explained.
There is nothing inherently sinful about the internal combustion engine
Wang Weiliang has always believed that the pattern of multi-structure fuel development will continue to exist for a long time, which is why Bosch Power will not give up on the internal combustion engine. "The internal combustion engine itself is not a sin, it is a huge technological advance, the key is to see what energy is used. ”
Based on this, Bosch continues to optimize its diesel power technology and expand the use of clean alternative fuels, including low-carbon alternative fuels such as natural gas and methanol, as well as zero-carbon fuels such as hydrogen. In terms of natural gas powertrain system technology, Bosch's strength does not need to be introduced, and it is in a leading position in the domestic natural gas engine market.
According to reports, Bosch's first local methanol system project successfully achieved mass production, successfully solved the technical problems of methanol engine cold start, fire and detonation, and was fully verified and recognized by the market, Wang Weiliang said that the development of methanol technology has matured, and now it mainly solves the problem of methanol source traceability and scene optimization and facility improvement, "I believe that in the future low-carbon and zero-carbon process, methanol alternative fuels will have a place in the era of multiple energy structures, or there will be a relatively large space for development compared with now."
In addition, Bosch's display of a low-pressure direct injection system for hydrogen internal combustion engines at the Beijing Motor Show is also a highlight. Based on proven diesel and natural gas engine solutions, Bosch offers direct injection and inlet injection technologies that eliminate flashback, significantly improve transient response, and improve thermal efficiency and power density, which is expected to be mass-produced in 2026.
"The hydrogen internal combustion engine is in a pre-dawn state, just waiting for the first gunshot. Wang Weiliang told the commercial vehicle news media that the internal combustion engine uses hydrogen fuel, which is zero carbon emissions, which can use existing technology and is highly efficient. Now it is up to us to see who can break the current situation, and it will take a spring thunder to break the calm in the international and domestic markets, and I believe it will be soon.
Extended to the field of braking
In addition to low-carbon and zero-carbon alternative fuels, Bosch has also spared no effort in electrification and intelligence, and has launched electrification solutions for light and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, including new electric motors, In terms of hydrogen fuel cells, Bosch has built the world's largest R&D center for Class A hydrogen fuel cells in Chongqing, and has now expanded to the entire business value chain, from hydrogen power modules to stacks, to membrane electrodes and bipolar plates, and the industrialization of hydrogen power products is being actively promoted.
In addition, the extension from drive to braking is also a major move of Bosch Powertrain. At the Beijing Motor Show, the electronically controlled pneumatic braking system (EBS) developed by Bosch was unveiled for the first time. The system is mainly composed of a foot valve module, a single-channel module, an integrated bridge control module and a trailer module, etc., which controls vehicle braking through electronic signals to achieve safer and more efficient braking with more intelligent and precise control. The modular design allows for the expansion of all vehicle models and achieves the highest functional safety level of ASIL-D. The controller is integrated with the bridge control module and installed in the chassis, supporting ADAS assisted driving and FOTA remote upgrade, which is an innovative, safe, reliable and intelligent commercial vehicle braking system solution.
According to reports, relying on rich development experience and testing capabilities, this system was developed by Bosch's local core team through cross-domain cooperation. It has already been tested at a first-tier domestic automaker and is scheduled to start mass production by the end of 2024. At the same time, it will be combined with the Bosch electric power steering system for heavy-duty commercial vehicles, which was exhibited at the same time, to achieve safer braking and steering.
Wang Weiliang told the commercial vehicle news media that the reason why Bosch does commercial vehicle EBS is that now cars are exported, and all electric vehicles must use EBS, and then in 2026, if national regulations promote it, the popularity of electronic brakes will be high. The promotion of EBS for commercial vehicles is of great significance, the first is safety, and the second is that it can greatly improve efficiency, fully combining intelligent driving, intelligent control, and intelligent electric drive. "At present, the particulate matter produced in the braking process has exceeded the engine emission particulate matter standard stipulated by Euro VII, and I believe that China will definitely refer to this technical parameter, because our braking technology is still a relatively large gap in the field. Personally, I think that China's electronic brakes on trucks will usher in a relatively big development in 2026. ”