- Engineering services made by Bosch
Bosch Engineering GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH. Founded in 1999 with 13 associates, Bosch Engineering is now a leading development service provider for the automotive industry and employs 1,950 associates worldwide, 1,620 of them in Germany at the company’s Abstatt, Holzkirchen, Ingolstadt, Weissach and Braunschweig locations. By harnessing its own strength and by acquiring erphi electronic GmbH in Holzkirchen near Munich, the company has grown steadily. Other events contributing to this growth have been the integration of Bosch Motorsport in 2003 as well as the founding of Bosch General Aviation Technology GmbH in Austria in 2008. The Robert Bosch development center in Abstatt has been Bosch Engineering’s headquarters since 2005, which operates project offices located near customers as well as further locations in Germany, Japan, North America, France, Austria, China, Brazil, the UK, and Italy.
Engineering Services: Bosch Engineering develops electronics systems for an efficient, safe, and connected mobility for automotive and non-automotive applications. In addition to commanding a wide range of development disciplines – such as electronics, IT, and mechanical engineering – the company’s associates also have comprehensive connectivity expertise. The company harnesses all these different skills and combines them with a solid foundation of tried-and-tested Bosch large-scale series production technology and a start-up mentality. On this basis, the associates develop custom electronics systems and software solutions for over 800 customer projects every year.
“From diggers to sports cars, snowmobiles to trams – our engineering services begin with a customer-specific concept and end with the green light for series production. Customers get Bosch quality combined with the flexibility and speed of a project-oriented company,” says Bernhard Bihr, president of Bosch Engineering GmbH.
Development areas
Bosch Engineering’s service portfolio comprises the development of systems, functions, and software related to powertrains, safety, convenience, driving dynamics, cockpit, and infotainment – as well as their electrical and electronic integration. In addition to the individual vehicle systems, another of the company’s key focus areas is overall vehicle development. System experts consider the interdependencies and interactions between the vehicle’s powertrain and driving dynamics, right from the early stages of development. This makes it easy to weigh up the pros and cons of a variety of solutions in terms of fuel consumption, CO2 emissions or driving dynamics. Using their comprehensive systems expertise and by networking vehicle systems, the Abstatt engineers also develop innovative and connected driving functions as well as integrated electric and electronic systems.
Powertrain systems: Traditional combustion engines, engines that use alternative fuels, or hybrid and electric drives – Bosch Engineering handles all development tasks relating to powertrains. Developers work with customers to define actions for reducing emissions and fuel consumption and boosting performance; some of these actions target the engine, others focus on other components. The associates develop engine control functions and software and apply these not only at the test bench, but also in the vehicle all the way to series release. At the customer’s request, Bosch Engineering also designs the complete powertrain and builds prototypes and demonstrators. At its headquarters in Abstatt near Stuttgart, Bosch Engineering also operates a state-of-the-art test center featuring engine test benches and dynamometers.
Safety, convenience, and driving dynamics systems: Bosch Engineering looks at the interaction of brakes, steering, and chassis when developing systems for convenience, driving dynamics, and active and passive safety. This includes adapting these systems to the needs of high-performance sports cars, for instance, and factoring in the exceptional weight conditions of special vehicles as well as the extreme environments in which they are used. Using integrated vehicle dynamics control, Bosch Engineering links together driving dynamics systems to increase convenience, agility, and individuality. Whether you’re looking for a comfortable or a sporty ride, the car’s driving characteristics can be further tailored to the driving situation.
Cockpit and infotainment systems: Bosch Engineering develops ergonomic control and display concepts that are easy to operate and that provide an intuitive experience. The developers network the information displays in the driver’s field of vision with in-vehicle drive, safety, and convenience systems to form a high-performance communication network.
Electric and electronic systems: Bosch Engineering also provides its customers with systems expertise for networking electric and electronic systems to achieve an optimum flow of energy and information in the vehicle. Services range from drafting and optimizing the system architecture and designing on-board communication and energy systems, to providing support when integrating systems into the vehicle.
Motor racing: Bosch Engineering coordinates all the Bosch Group’s motor racing activities, developing and manufacturing professional motor racing technology for automaker racing teams as well as for major racing series. The company is the exclusive supplier to the DTM German Touring Car Masters series and the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, and is Audi Motorsport’s development partner for the Audi R18 e-tron quattro hybrid racing car in the FIA World Endurance Championship. Bosch Motorsport also supplies several teams that compete in the FIA Formula One World Championship. The Bosch Group can look back on a long history of motor racing – Bosch technology made its first appearance in the sport back in 1901.
