Bosch Mobility

In 1886, Robert Bosch founded the "Workshop for Fine Mechanics and Electrical Engineering" in Stuttgart.

In 1897, the “Bosch magneto ignition” was a pioneering, high-tech product that was completely without precedent – and suitable for volume production. Automotive manufacturers now finally had access to ignition systems that would make the automobile a realistic means of everyday transportation. This new product paved the way for the transformation of Robert Bosch’s courtyard-entrance workshop into a global corporation.

In the summer of 1901, Robert Bosch commissioned his associate Gottlob Honold with the construction of a magneto ignition without the usual, high-maintenance break-spark rodding. Just a few months later, Honold unveiled the high-voltage magneto ignition – or electric arc ignition, as it was also known. It generated a high-voltage current by means of two coils on the armature. Using a simple cable connection, this current was conducted to a spark plug, the electrodes of which formed the all-important spark.

In 1909, Robert Bosch concluded a contract with Eugen Wörner from Cannstatt near Stuttgart, allowing him to construct central lubricating devices – known as “oilers” – for use in engines. The knowledge that Robert Bosch gained from the oiler technology, specifically regarding the management of high pressures and accurate metering of fluids, proved essential in the development of injection systems for diesel and gasoline engines – a field in which Bosch is now a global market leader.