Bosch Group is electrifying its Charleston operations. On Tuesday, October 25, the technology and services company announced it had added production of electric motors to its site in South Carolina and plans to invest $260 million for further expansions meant to take advantage of increased demand for electric vehicles. The new investments, Bosch says, are expected to create about 350 new jobs by 2025.
Production of the motors began this month in an existing building of the company’s Charleston, South Carolina, campus, according to a company release. The 200,000 square feet of existing production space, previously used to produce diesel components, will be expanded by 75,000 square feet in coming years to support the planned future production levels by 2023.
In a statement, Mike Mansuetti, President of Bosch North America, said Bosch is increasing its electrification business around the world in order to support the “market demand for electrification.”
“We’ve invested more than $6 billion dollars in electromobility development, and in 2021 our global orders for electromobility surpassed $10 billion dollars for the first time,” said Mansuetti. “Local production helps advance our customers’ regional electrification strategies.”
Earlier this year and elsewhere in the state, Bosch announced in August it would produce fuel cell stacks at its location in Anderson, South Carolina.
“We are in the midst of major shifts in mobility, and the story of reinvention in Charleston is a model for how electrification production can evolve from within an existing facility,” said Mansuetti.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster praised the company’s investments in his state, saying in a statement that the state is “grateful” for “another strong commitment from Bosch to our state.”
In addition to the new production, Bosch also noted it would continue to invest in cultivating local talent. The company’s corporate foundation has reportedly spent more than $2.5 million in STEM education grants around Charleston in the past decade.
