Automotive supplier Bosch is taking over the production of the S3 fuel cell stack for the Swedish fuel cell specialist PowerCell. Under the new agreement, Bosch will integrate the S3 into its own production facilities in Germany and deliver finished 100 kW stacks to PowerCell’s plant in Gothenburg.

According to PowerCell, the outsourcing of production should enable it to concentrate on expanding the assembly and delivery of complete fuel cell systems and on the development of the next stack generation.

In April 2019, the two companies launched a collaboration for the industrialization, production, and distribution of the PowerCell S3. The agreement gives Bosch the exclusive right to manufacture and sell the PowerCell S3 for use in the automotive market.

For all other applications and segments, PowerCell itself holds full rights. This applies to the aviation sector; for example: according to an agreement signed in 2022, PowerCell will supply 5 000 fuel cell stacks to ZeroAvia from 2024.

Bamberg

These should now be assembled in Germany by Bosch. This is because PowerCell will use the FC stacks to build “segment-specific fuel cell systems to Marine, Aviation, Power Generation and Off-Road customers”.

The announcement does not say where Bosch plans the production to take place. Bosch already manufactures fuel cell stacks from the above-mentioned agreement at its Bamberg site. According to earlier statements, the German supplier aims to “produce stacks with a gigawatt capacity by the middle of the decade”.

It is unknown whether the capacity in Bamberg is sufficient also to handle the orders for PowerCell – the current communication at least does not announce any need for investment in the expansion.

Years of collaboration

“The agreement with Bosch significantly increases our production capacity and allows us to effectively meet the rapidly increasing demand for our leading hydrogen electric solutions,” said Richard Berkling, CEO of PowerCell. “We continue to create value for our customers through leading products, innovation, and development of the next generation of fuel cell stacks.”

“The supply agreement is one of the results of multiple years of good collaboration between Bosch and PowerCell. It supports our goals for emission-free mobility and contributes to the development of Bosch fuel cell technology in Europe. We are happy to support PowerCell with our scaled-up manufacturing capabilities,” says Thomas Wintrich, Senior Vice-President of the Business Unit Fuel Cell Mobility Solutions at Bosch.