Jan NettigThe Bosch facility in České Budějovice clearly illustrates the changing times in the automotive industry. It is one of the biggest research and development centers of the German business in Europe.
Constructed 30 years ago, the facility used the lower labor costs of Czechoslovakia which were present then. The area has been an important source of parts for car makers for a long period of time. Each year, countless brakes and exhaust systems for cars made by major German car-producing enterprises have rolled out from the factory.
Today, the car industry is going through unprecedented transformations and the phasing out of diesel and gasoline is on the horizon. The Czech plant struggles to keep up with the changes and reconvert to the new reality, posing a challenge to its parent company, the biggest auto parts producer worldwide.
Despite attempts of big European brands to postpone the process of electrification – lagging far behind Asian competitors, and particularly US-based Tesla – the hard truth is that the last fuel-powered car will be registered in Europe in 2040. It is clear that battery-powered cars are the future, with Norway and China, as well as the Netherlands within the EU, leading the way.
For larger vehicles like trucks and buses, a mixture of electric and hydrogen-powered fuel cells offer enhanced range and more rapid charging times but with a lesser degree of efficiency. As Alan Celić, leader of the plant in southern Bohemia which EL PAÍS visited this week, states, “We understand cars of the future will mostly run on electric batteries. But we think bigger vehicles such as trucks should use hydrogen fuel cells, which get their energy from green hydrogen.” He goes even further: “A hydrogen cell is the most ideal substitute for this type of transportation to move away from diesel, due to it avoiding the need for heavy batteries and shortening the amount of time for recharging; truckers cannot wait around for a battery to be totally recharged. It is not productive.”
