German auto provider Bosch stated Wednesday it’s going to make investments greater than $200 million to construct gas cells for electrical vans in South Carolina.

Bosch plans to develop an present manufacturing facility in Anderson, South Carolina, to construct the gas cell “stacks” beginning in 2026. The funding is predicted to create no less than 350 new jobs on the manufacturing facility, the corporate stated.

Bosch’s North America president, Mike Mansuetti, stated the corporate determined to put money into U.S. manufacturing to help “rising demand” from its automotive clients in North America.

“As our success in buying e-mobility enterprise right here within the area continues, it’s vital that we now have native manufacturing capabilities to help our native clients,” Mansuetti stated in a press release.

Gas cells chemically convert the power in hydrogen fuel to electrical energy, emitting solely water. Whereas costly to construct, the gadgets are discovering functions in giant electrical autos that will in any other case require excessively giant and heavy battery packs, equivalent to semitrucks, building gear and army autos.

The gas cells constructed by Bosch in South Carolina will probably be used to energy electrical heavy vans, together with forthcoming fashions from Arizona-based EV truck startup Nikola, the corporate stated.

Nikola has begun pilot testing of a gas cell-powered model of its Tre electrical semitruck, with about 500 miles of vary. The corporate expects to start manufacturing of the gas cell-powered Tre by the top of subsequent yr, and to launch a second gas cell truck with 900 miles of vary in 2024.