Bosch and Daimler Sign EV Motor JV, Production starts 2012

Robert Bosch GmbH and Daimler AG have concluded negotiations and signed an agreement for the establishment of a 50:50 joint venture. The aim of the joint venture is to develop and manufacture electric motors. The contract is subject to approval by the responsible antitrust authorities. The new company will operate under the name EM-motive GmbH. It will be headquartered in Hildesheim, where a manufacturing site will also be located. The joint venture’s development site will be located in the Stuttgart area, where both parent companies are headquartered. Some 100 associates will begin working for the joint venture in the fourth quarter of 2011. EM-motive GmbH will be headed by two executives of equal status from each of the parent companies.

The cooperation between Bosch and Daimler in the area of e-mobility aims to pool expertise and utilize synergies to speed up the development of high-quality traction machines for electric vehicles with batteries, fuel cells or range extenders.

Wolf-Henning Scheider, member of the Bosch board of management responsible for the Chassis Systems Control, Electrical Drives, and Starter Motors divisions, said: “This joint venture is an investment into the future of Europe’s automotive industry. It will enable us to expand our portfolio of electric motors for all our customers in an ideal manner. I strongly believe that our common products will shape the future e-mobility market, and that we will quickly reach a high level of market penetration.”

From 2012, the joint venture’s traction machines will be featured in vehicles of the Mercedes-Benz and smart brands. The new generation of the smart fortwo electric drive, which is set to be launched in the spring of 2012, will be the first vehicle to be equipped with EM-motive technologies.

A clear strength of the joint venture's electric motors is their modularity. It will enable Bosch to offer its customers a broad range of motors that are suited to vehicles of different classes, including a range of purely electric vehicles. The motors can be adapted to different performance requirements, and can be fitted in many types of vehicle, including cars, vans, and delivery vehicles.

A special characteristic of the joint venture is that Bosch will be able to sell EM-motive products to third party customers. As a result, Bosch will remain a trusted partner to carmakers in the future. The joint venture will create economies of scale, which will help keep costs down. This will in turn be beneficial to all customers. By 2020, the joint venture expects to produce more than one million electric motors.

Both parent companies will contribute their engineering expertise to develop and manufacture electric traction motors. Carmaker Daimler brings 20 years of experience in the area of e-mobility into the joint venture, particularly in the areas of fuel cell and battery technology. The company has comprehensive expertise with regard to the development and manufacture of electric vehicles.