Bosch-powered 3-wheelers to hit roads in FY20

Electric three-wheelers and two-wheelers powered by German auto components maker Bosch are likely to hit the Indian roads during the next financial year.

Bosch Limited, the Indian unit of Bosch is actively engaged with the three-wheeler and two-wheeler manufacturers to launch electric three-wheelers for the Indian market, according to a top company official.

"We have set up project houses for electrification and supplied our proof of concepts (PoCs) to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the three-wheeler and two-wheeler category. We are in every area of electrification other than battery cells. We will announce the names of our customers closer to the launch," Soumitra Bhattacharya, Managing Director, Bosch Limited and President, Bosch Group, India told DH.

Bosch manufactures a range of products and solutions required to power an electric vehicle including drives, battery pack among others. However, it does not manufacture battery cells and it is left to automakers to choose their own battery cells, he said.

To begin with, Bhattacharya said Bosch will roll out products for light commercial vehicles, two and three-wheelers. Electric passenger cars will come at a later stage, he added.

He said, despite the country moving towards electric vehicles, the internal combustion engine (ICE) driven passenger vehicles in both diesel and gasoline engines and light utility vehicles will continue to play a dominant role beyond 2030.

Bhattacharya said Bosch and the automotive industry have fully geared up to transition to BS-VI emission norms by 2020 as mandated by the Supreme Court. "This is the fastest transition into a new emission standard in the world. While the whole world has done it in eight years, the Indian automotive industry is doing it in just three years," he said.

Bosch is focusing on 3S strategy, which means Sensors, Software, and Services. The company is systematically investing in these areas. The company is also developing its Adugodi facility in Bengaluru into a smart campus, once it shifts its manufacturing unit to Bidadi. The second phase of shifting the facility will be completed by June this year. The smart campus, which will house its research and development facility, one of the biggest in the world, and its India headquarters will be fully developed by 2021-22, he added.

The company is investing Rs 1,200 crore on developing a new factory in Bidadi and a smart campus in Adugodi. As part of this project, the company is constructing a 15-floor building to house its India headquarters. It is also building a flyover to connect its north and south campuses across a 75-acre facility. Once fully developed, the campus will have around 15,000 employees working in the campus, Bhattacharya said.