Bosch: Electric cars a decade or more away

Bosch, the world's biggest auto parts supplier, believes that electric cars will dominate the global car marketÑbut not until 2030. Speaking at an automotive seminar in Stuttgart, Bosch chairman Bernd Bohr said the major hurdle for electric cars remains the weight and cost of batteries. But Bosch is confident that by 2015 it will cut weight by around 30 percent and the cost by nearly half. But the costs will have to come down even further before electric cars will go mainstream, according to the company.

"The electric car will come, but in small numbers at first," said Bohr. "It will occupy a niche and will not make a noticeable mark on the roads until after 2020." Bohr believes electric cars will be most successful in Asia's densely populated regions, and in some European and American cities. "By 2015, we expect to see a sales volume of some 500,000 electric vehicles worldwide." He sees that number rising to 3 million units by 2020, with Prius-style hybrids accounting for about five million units per year.

"At Bosch, we are investing heavily in making these visions a reality," said Bohr. Bosch currently employs 400 engineers to work on electric drive technology, and is developing hybrid technology planned for production in 2010.

Bosch expects the vast majority of cars in 2020 to still use gas- and diesel-powered enginesÑalthough they will utilize downsizing and turbo technology to boost efficiency by as much as 50 percent.