IAA Insight: As Commercial Vehicles Become Software-Defined, Bosch Is Opening New Growth Space

　　How much software does a modern heavy truck need? From powertrain control and intelligent driving to remote diagnostics, OTA updates, and fleet management, software has already entered multiple areas of commercial vehicle R&D and operations. At the same time, the number of sensors, controllers, and computing platforms on vehicles continues to grow, and the integration of the vehicle electrical/electronic architecture continues to increase.

　　At IAA Transportation 2026, Bosch showcased technologies covering electric drive, hydrogen energy, sensors, central computing, software platforms, steering systems, and cloud services in response to this change. From the architectural transformation brought about by software definition to diversified powertrains, intelligent safety, and digital operations, Bosch is expanding the coverage of its commercial vehicle technologies and services and seeking new business growth space.

Software definition drives architecture upgrades; central computing reshapes the vehicle control system.

　　The functions of traditional heavy trucks are usually implemented by different controllers separately. As intelligent driving, energy management, cockpit functions, and vehicle connectivity continue to increase, the amount of data and control tasks vehicles need to handle continues to rise, making a centralized electrical/electronic architecture an important development direction.

　　In an exclusive interview with Transporter Network, Wang Weiliang, President of the China Board of Bosch Mobility, argued that future intelligence will revolve around whole-vehicle upgrades, and the core direction of "software-defined vehicles" will emerge. "Software and hardware need to be further separated, while software should revolve around the operating system, as well as intelligent driving, vehicle motion control, and the integration of different functions."

　　The vehicle integration platform displayed by Bosch on site can centralize functions from different domains such as powertrain, energy, and body into a central computing platform. Its subsidiary ETAS provides a software platform based on Eclipse S-CORE, offering underlying support for different architectures.

　　This centralized architecture allows vehicles to continuously update functions via OTA throughout their lifecycle, and also enables software to evolve from a mere control tool into a core carrier that determines a vehicle's long-term value.

Multi-pronged layout in electric drive and hydrogen energy expands the NEW ENERGY powertrain market.

　　The shift to software is changing vehicle architecture, but the powertrain still determines the basic efficiency of commercial vehicles.

　　At this year's show, Bosch brought the all-new Rigid eAxle electric drive axle, suitable for commercial vehicles from 18 to 49 tons, integrating an electric motor, transmission, and a silicon carbide inverter with maximum efficiency of up to 99%. For 800V high-voltage electrical architectures, Bosch also showcased a high-voltage electric drive fan, which significantly reduces thermal management energy consumption through on-demand cooling.

　　In the hydrogen field, Bosch's fuel cell systems cover 100 to 300 kW and can be used in city buses and long-haul trucks; its hydrogen internal combustion engine continues to use a mature engine architecture and has been supplying related components to global test vehicles and fleets since 2025.

　　This diversified technology layout meets the differentiated needs of global markets. Bosch predicts that by 2030, about one quarter of newly registered heavy trucks worldwide will use batteries or fuel cells, and by 2035 this proportion will approach half. At present, Bosch's electric drive business has already reached considerable scale: in 2026, one out of every three newly registered pure electric trucks in Europe will be equipped with Bosch electric motors and inverters.

AI perception and intelligent steering work together to improve commercial vehicle safety.

　　In terms of intelligence, Bosch is promoting deep connections among perception, computing, and execution systems, extending commercial vehicle intelligence from single functions to a whole-vehicle control system.

　　The new-generation MPC4 multifunction camera has 20 times greater computing power, supports on-device multi-sensor data fusion, and uses AI to improve lane departure warning and emergency braking functions. It is expected to enter mass production in 2027. Meanwhile, the seventh-generation radar is also planned for launch in 2027, using Bosch's self-developed SoC and waveguide antenna technology.

　　In driver safety monitoring, Bosch has integrated a fatigue and attention monitoring camera into the digital mirror display, which has currently been listed as standard equipment by two European truck manufacturers. On the chassis execution side, the ServoE pure electric motor-driven steering system supports assisted steering and lays the foundation for future steer-by-wire.

Digital services reach deeper into fleet operations, and software value continues to extend.

　　For transport companies, the true value of software ultimately has to be reflected in actual operating indicators such as uptime, energy consumption, and TCO.

　　In operations and maintenance, Bosch's displayed Digital Fuel Twin cloud software can record a fleet's use of renewable synthetic fuels such as HVO and automatically generate carbon reduction data. ETAS's new-generation diagnostic solution developed based on the ASAM SOVD standard combines vehicle data with diagnostic functions, helping maintenance personnel quickly locate complex software faults, effectively shortening vehicle downtime, and feeding diagnostic data back into the R&D system.

　　In dispatching and driving, Bosch launched Connected Map Services, which provides real-time traffic warning information, and Xtended Access digital key, which simplifies vehicle dispatching. These applications show that after a vehicle is delivered, Bosch can still continuously participate in post-sales operation and maintenance and fleet management through software and data.

From hardware supply to software services, heavy commercial vehicles open up growth space.

　　From diversified powertrains to centralized architecture and then to cloud digital services, Bosch's commercial vehicle layout has covered the entire chain from underlying hardware to software operations.

　　In the exclusive interview, Wang Weiliang pointed out: "Over the past few decades, the world generally supported China with technology. Now, we also have the ability to support the transformation and development of the global automotive industry with Chinese technology." Through the synergy of localized innovation and global R&D, Bosch can not only provide more complete system solutions for vehicle manufacturers worldwide, but also provide logistics customers worldwide with digital services that run through the entire lifecycle.

　　This cross-system integration capability provides solid support for achieving its business goals. Bosch management has clearly stated that it plans to double the sales of Bosch's heavy commercial vehicle business by the mid-2030s.

Transporter Network commentary:.

　　The value of the commercial vehicle industry chain is changing. Electrification has made electric drive a core component, intelligence has increased the importance of sensors and computing platforms, and software definition further connects multiple links such as powertrain, chassis, driving, safety, and operations. Bosch's long-accumulated capabilities in powertrain, chassis, sensors, and software happen to cover multiple key links in this round of technological change.

　　Judging from the information released at IAA 2026, Bosch is pushing its positioning further toward software-defined and comprehensive system solutions. As commercial vehicles evolve into continuously evolving intelligent terminals, this cross-system integration capability will also become an important foundation for the continued growth of Bosch's commercial vehicle business.