Bosch turns South Carolina diesel facility into $260 million EV motor plant

Enlarge / A Bosch worker assembles an electric motor at the company's factory in Charleston, South Carolina. (credit: Bosch)

On Tuesday, Bosch formally announced the start of electric motor production at its factory in Charleston, South Carolina, taking over space that was previously used to make components for diesel engines. Bosch says it will invest $260 million to expand its electrified products at Charleston and will add a total of 350 new jobs by 2025.

"We have grown our electrification business globally and here in the North American region," said Mike Mansuetti, president of Bosch in North America. "We've invested more than $6 billion in electromobility development, and in 2021, our global orders for electromobility surpassed $10 billion dollars for the first time. Local production helps to advance our customers' regional electrification strategies and further supports the market demand for electrification."

The factory in Charleston will build rotors and stators and perform final assembly, with power outputs ranging from 67 to 670 hp (50–500 kW) and 110–738 lb-ft (150–1,000 Nm), with an efficiency of 98 percent. The motors are suitable for light vehicles like passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs, and Bosch's first customer will be Rivian, although the startup does plan to build its own motors eventually.