LEAP Concludes Research and Development Work on Battery Technology

The Lithium Energy and Power GmbH & Co KG (LEAP) joint venture’s research and development work has been concluded. Robert Bosch GmbH (Stuttgart, Germany) and the Japanese companies GS Yuasa International Ltd., based in Kyoto, and Mitsubishi Corporation, based in Tokyo, set up the joint venture in November 2013 with the aim of jointly researching and developing the next generation of lithium-ion battery technology. Since then, the partners have jointly pooled their expertise and added to the body of knowledge relating to lithium-ion technology.

As the development work has now been concluded, and LEAP has decided not to step into the production of the next generation of lithium-ion batteries, all shareholders have agreed and decided to dissolve the joint venture. The associates are now returning to their parent companies. Bosch, GS Yuasa, and Mitsubishi Corporation will use the insights gained in their joint venture for future activities.

In recognition of the good relationship established in the course of the joint venture, the three parties wish to continue to collaborate in the future.

Mobility Solutions is the largest Bosch Group business sector. According to preliminary figures, its 2017 sales came to 47.4 billion euros, or 61 percent of total group sales. This makes the Bosch Group one of the leading automotive suppliers. The Mobility Solutions business sector pursues a vision of mobility that is accident-free, emissions-free, and stress-free, and combines the group’s expertise in the domains of automation, electrification, and connectivity. For its customers, the outcome is integrated mobility solutions. The business sector’s main areas of activity are injection technology and powertrain peripherals for internal-combustion engines, diverse solutions for powertrain electrification, vehicle safety systems, driver-assistance and automated functions, technology for user-friendly infotainment as well as vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, repair-shop concepts, and technology and services for the automotive aftermarket. Bosch is synonymous with important automotive innovations, such as electronic engine management, the ESP anti-skid system, and common-rail diesel technology.