Bosch showcases battery and connected car tech

Powering the future: The next generation of cars will be safer, more connected and possibly cheaper and capable of travelling further on a single charge.

If you want to know what the next automotive innovation is going to be in terms of autonomous driving, electric car battery range or simply fuel efficiency, Bosch may be the best equipped to answer. As one of the world's biggest and most important automotive suppliers, the company has one of its parts in or has had some technological influence on pretty much every car currently on the road.

And if its wares at this year's Frankfurt motor show are a clear indication, the next generation of cars are going to be safer, more connected, and, if they're battery powered, cheaper and capable of going further on a single charge.

"Bosch is using its knowledge and considerable financial resources to achieve a breakthrough for electromobility," said Bosch chairman Dr. Volkmar Denner. The breakthrough in question is a new solid-state lithium battery technology that can feasibly double energy density without doubling cost and which could be market-ready in under five years.

Doubling density would double a plug-in electric car's range between recharges and, according to Bosch's figures, the technology will arrive when as many as 15% of new cars on the road globally and 33% in Europe will have at least a hybrid powertrain. "The pure lithium anode represents a huge innovative leap in battery cell construction," said Denner. "Solid-state cells could be a breakthrough technology."

The company's figures also cover areas like parking. A driver can clock up as much as 4.5km and waste at least 10 minutes in search of somewhere to leave their car and Bosch has been developing an active parking lot management system that will offer real-time information as to where a space is and its availability. And of course, it can be accessed via a smartphone. "We're relieving drivers of the often burdensome search for a parking space," said fellow board member Dr. Dirk Hoheisel.

The system is part of a larger push into connected car technology that will include automated warnings when a car is traveling the wrong way down a road – this happens 2000 times a year in Germany alone – and smarter navigation systems that are focused on maximising fuel efficiency as well as getting the driver to a destination.

As for automated driving, Bosch is already one of the world's biggest suppliers of sensors, radar units and emergency brake assist systems and has helped pioneer autonomous parking and other features. Sales of its equipment in these areas is doubling every year as more manufacturers add semi-autonomous features to their fleets. However there is still much work to do before the truly self-driving car is a reality. "Automated driving will arrive gradually by a process of developing and refining driver assistance systems," Denner said. — Reuters