The German technology major said the 2.5MW system, installed at its Bamberg plant, could produce up to one tonne of hydrogen per day, using renewable electricity.

The containerised system, built by Schmidt Kranz Group-owned Fest, uses two of Bosch’s self-made 1.25MW Hybrion stacks, which it officially launched in April this year.

Bosch will operate the system at the Bamberg site, where hydrogen will be used to conduct endurance testing on its fuel cell modules for trucks, with power generated by the fuel cells fed back into the electrolyser.

Bamberg will also host a test station for the Hybrion stacks for factory acceptance testing before delivery to customers. It said deliveries have already been made to firms like Kyros Hydrogen Solutions, Neumann & Esser, and Pietro Fiorentini.

The stacks will also be used by Chinese electrolyser firm Hygreen Energy.

Dr Markus Heyn, Bosch board member and Chairman of its Mobility business, said the launch of the system was an important milestone for the firm, which has faced major challenges in hydrogen activities.

The firm bet heavily on hydrogen in the early 2020s, having started mass production of PEM fuel cells, developing hydrogen combustion engine components, and stationary fuel cell systems.

However, Bosch’s fuel cell pilot truck OEM Nikola filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, and waved off its stationary fuel cell programme due to low demand.

Heyn insisted Bosch was committed to hydrogen, describing it as “an ideal energy source.”

“For Bosch, hydrogen continues to be a strategically important business.”

Electrolysis is being viewed as a critical hydrogen lifeline for the company. Ahead of officially launching the Hybrion stack, it said it had racked up 100MW of pre-orders.

Despite its big ambitions for the technology, Bosch is taking a cautious approach to manufacturing.

Carola Ruse, Bosch’s Head of Electrolyser Solutions, previously told H2 View the firm would take a “step-wise approach” in response to confirmed orders, with potential for regionalised production – including in China.

“We have not introduced 3GW of manufacturing capacity,” Ruse told H2 View. “We have our initial low-volume line installed now, and based on order entry, we will extend our capacity when we also see bigger potential in terms of several projects.”