Investing in U.S. Universities

October 23, 2017

Bosch hosts energy research symposium, awards energy research grants
to scholars from top universities

Bosch Energy Research Network (BERN) convenes symposium of
Bosch-supported researchers on cutting-edge energy topics

Bosch awards six energy research grants at five leading U.S.
universities for 2017-18; 26 grants provided since 2011

BERN energy internships provide educational opportunities for future
engineers and leaders in sustainable energy

PALO ALTO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–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.