German tech giant Bosch has reportedly halted its plan to incorporate a hydrogen fuel cell production line into its South Carolina facility.
In an online statement, Bosch said the $200m expansion was delayed in mid-2024, after the hydrogen fuel cell mobility market experienced “significant changes over the past year.”
Bosch added that while hydrogen “continues to be growth area… and a key technology for the path to an electrified future,” the company plans to “re-evaluate the investment for local fuel cell manufacturing when region market demand increases.”
The expansion plans for the Anderson County facility were first announced in 2022, with production scheduled to ramp up through 2026, bringing an estimated 350 new jobs to the area.
Bosch stated it had already begun construction on the extra 147,000 square feet required for the fuel cell production line, along with additional rooms for quality-critical processes.
H2 View understands that the South Carolina state and Anderson County would have backed the expansion with funds.
In August 2022, the company said, “The fuel cell stacks produced in Anderson will drive hydrogen-powered trucks coming to the roads of the US in the next few years.”
Last month (February), Bosch announced it will cease development of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) in a bid to focus efforts on PEM-based hydrogen production technologies, amid slow market development for stationary hydrogen solutions.
Read more:Bosch drops SOFC development to focus on PEM hydrogen production
Bosch had partnered with Ceres to develop its systems, but the German firm announced it will treat its minority interest in Ceres as a “non-core financial investment” and explore divesting the stake.
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