Investing in U.S. Universities

Bosch recently hosted the first symposium of energy researchers supported by the Bosch Energy Research Network. BERN also awarded six energy research grants to researchers at five leading U.S. universities and awarded energy internships to 18 students.

At the symposium 14 university research faculty presented and discussed research results on battery, powertrain, and energy conversion and management topics with Bosch engineers from across North America and Germany. The symposium was held for two days in Palo Alto, California.

“We brought together some of the best research minds in the U.S. to the BERN Energy Symposium,” said Hauke Schmidt, head of Corporate Research for Bosch in North America. “Through BERN we invest in the research of sustainable energy solutions in our quest to advance mobility of the future. These research relationships enable us to find and apply the best technologies for efficient and clean energy storage, conversion and management.”

Symposium presenters were from six BERN partner institutions: California Institute of Technology; Carnegie Mellon University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Stanford University; University of California, Berkeley; and the University of Michigan. Panel topics included ceramic solid-state and lithium batteries, battery materials modeling, solid electrolytes in battery applications, energy conversion, low-emission combustion, and software platforms for energy management.

Several BERN awardees discussed technological advances in solid-state batteries that could enable lower-cost electric vehicles with a longer driving range and the potential of fast charging on the go. Professor Bill Goddard of Caltech presented new computational approaches to discovering electrolytes with improved ionic transport, while Professor Nitash Balsara of UC Berkeley laid out a methodology to measure transport properties in these materials. MIT Professor Yet-Ming Chiang provided a new model for understanding electrical shorting in ceramic electrolytes and new guidelines for their mechanical properties. Professors Jeff Sakamoto of MIT and Neil Dasgupta of the University of Michigan highlighted the importance of contaminants on the surface of solid electrolytes and demonstrated that removal of these contaminants could increase battery performance by improving the wettability of lithium and lowering the interfacial resistance. These results bring a step change in understanding the fundamentals of solid-state battery physics and chemistry. BERN-sponsored research has unlocked new approaches to the development of these highly important batteries.

Professor Huei Peng of the University of Michigan discussed his work toward expanding advanced power-split transmissions in hybrid lightweight trucks. Also from U-M, Professor Anthony Rowe presented his work with Professor Mario Berges on software platforms for real-time command and control of energy usage in indoor environments, including implementation of these systems in buildings in multiple U.S. locations. These two BERN collaborations continue through grant support from the U.S. Department of Energy:

  • Professor Huei Peng of the University of Michigan and Bosch were awarded a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy in 2016 to perform research on Optimal configuration, component sizing and control of a power-split system for medium-duty trucks.
  • Professors Anthony Rowe and Mario Berges of Carnegie Mellon University and Bosch were awarded a U.S. Department of Energy BENEFIT grant, to start in 2017, for their work on Software platforms for demand-side energy management. BENEFIT stands for Building Energy Efficiency Frontiers and Innovation Technologies.

Bosch plans to host this energy symposium annually.

Bosch Energy Research Network and university research support

BERN’s long-term goal is to develop transformative energy technologies for series production. In spring 2017 BERN awarded a fourth round of energy research grants in North America, following a competitive grant selection process, which was held in late 2016. For this round, Bosch awarded six two-year grants to faculty from BERN partner universities. This $1.7 million in research support continues Bosch’s longstanding investment in energy technologies and furthers collaboration with leading researchers. BERN has now funded 26 research grants at U.S. universities. 2017-18 BERN research grant recipients include:

  • Optimizing ionic transport in polymer electrolytes. Professor Alfredo Alexander-Katz, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  • Local ion dynamics in solid-block copolymer electrolytes. Professor Nitasch Balsara, University of California at Berkeley.
  • Instability mechanisms of fluid-structure interaction in a piezoelectric flow-energy harvester. Principal Investigator: Professor Tim Colonius, California Institute of Technology.
  • Interfacial engineering of all-solid state batteries. Principal Investigator: Professor Neil Dasgupta, University of Michigan.
  • Developing new methods for the accurate ionization potential calculation in polymer electrolyte modeling for energy storage. Principal Investigator: Professor Heather Kulik, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  • Designing safe and high-performing lithium-ion batteries based on a fully coupled multiphysics computational model and machine learning. Principal Investigator: Christian Linder, Stanford University.

Internship Opportunities for future energy leaders

BERN also supports internship opportunities at Bosch sites throughout North America for future engineers and leaders in development of energy-efficient products and practices. Since 2011 BERN has supported 106 interns, recruited from 14 universities, at Bosch locations in North America, including Palo Alto, California; Farmington Hills, Michigan; Hoffmann Estates, Illinois; Bethlehem and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Charleston, South Carolina; and Waltham, Massachusetts. BERN interns work alongside Bosch associates on a range of energy research and development topics.

Global commitment to research

At 120 locations across the globe, Bosch employs some 59,000 associates in research and development; approximately 2,000 Bosch associates are dedicated to R&D in North America.

BERN is the North American arm of the global Bosch InterCampus Program, a 2011 initiative created in 2011 to mark the 125th anniversary of the founding of Bosch. 50 million euros was designated over 10 years to support universities and research programs in Germany, China, India and the U.S. in the environment, energy and mobility fields. In North America, BERN has allocated more than $10 million over eight years in support of energy research and student internships.

The BERN program is managed by the Bosch Research and Technology Center (RTC) in North America. For further information on the BERN program as well as updates on activities, visit www.bernprogram.com.

About Bosch

Having established a regional presence in 1906 in North America, the Bosch Group employs nearly 32,800 associates in more than 100 locations, as of December 31, 2016. In 2016 Bosch generated consolidated sales of $13.7 billion in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. For more information, visit www.boschusa.com, www.bosch.com.mx and www.bosch.ca.

The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. The company employs roughly 390,000 associates worldwide (as of December 31, 2016) and generated sales of 73.1 billion euros ($80.9 billion) in 2016. Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility Solutions, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. As a leading IoT company, Bosch offers innovative solutions for smart homes, smart cities, connected mobility, and connected industry. It uses its expertise in sensor technology, software, and services, as well as its own IoT cloud, to offer its customers connected, cross-domain solutions from a single source. The Bosch Group’s strategic objective is to create solutions for a connected life, and to improve quality of life worldwide with products and services that are innovative and spark enthusiasm. In short, Bosch creates technology that is “Invented for life.” The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 440 subsidiaries and regional companies in some 60 countries. Including sales and service partners, Bosch’s global manufacturing, engineering, and sales network covers nearly every country in the world. The basis for the company’s future growth is its innovative strength. At 120 locations across the globe, Bosch employs 59,000 associates in research and development.

Additional information is available online at www.bosch.com, www.bosch-press.com, http://twitter.com/BoschPresse.

Exchange rate: 1 EUR = $1.1069