To plug a €2.5bn ($2.9bn) annual shortfall in the company, Bosch plans to cut as many as 13,000 jobs globally.
The German engineering and technology company claimed demand for newly commercialised hydrogen technologies is failing to materialise at the pace needed.
It also pointed to the collapse in diesel demand, sluggish global vehicle markets, weak uptake of electromobility and automated driving, and fierce price competition.
Bosch’s sites in Feuerbach and Homburg, where fuel cells and hydrogen injection systems are produced, have been left with underutilised capacity – a problem the company blames on lagging infrastructure and regulation.
“Demand for the hydrogen technology products commercialised in recent years is too low as a result of considerable delays to the ramp-up of the hydrogen market in Europe,” the company explained in a statement.
“This has led to underutilisation of production capacity and an overall workforce overcapacity at the site.”
H2 View understands that job reductions will extend through to 2030, with its German sites being the most severely affected.
The Feuerbach and Homburg plants will see major reductions, alongside Schwieberdingen, where Bosch’s Power Solutions and Electrified Motion divisions are based.
“The sharp decline in demand has meant there is significant overcapacity in administration and sales as well as in development and production,” Bosch added.
Board member Markus Heyn emphasised that geopolitical uncertainty and tariffs implemented by the US are further compounding pressures as Bosch battles for viability in an increasingly competitive global market.
“This is something that we, like all companies, have to deal with,” Heyn said. “We can expect to face even more intense competition. That’s why we’re aiming to seize growth opportunities wherever possible and make sure our mobility locations worldwide remain viable.
“I’m convinced that Bosch Mobility can prevail in the highly competitive global market. But we have to pave the way for this now and use our own resources to secure our competitiveness, as time is pressing.”
Even as Bosch takes drastic cost-cutting measures, its leadership has doubled down on hydrogen’s long-term role. Chairman Dr. Stefan Hartung reaffirmed to H2 View in May that hydrogen remains a core pillar of its long-term strategy.
He underlined that hydrogen internal combustion engines (ICE) and the firm’s new PEM electrolyser stacks will drive future growth, even if Europe lags behind other regions.
However, he warned that EU tax policy is actively hindering the adoption of hydrogen engines.
“The EU allows tax exemptions under certain circumstances,” Hartung said. “The German government should take advantage of this and exempt the hydrogen engine from the energy tax as soon as possible.”
Bosch has already launched mass production of truck fuel cell modules and is targeting billions in hydrogen-related sales by 2030, though it scaled back some projects, including stationary SOFC development.