The dominance of the internal combustion engine will remain intact over the next 20 years – but full electric powertrains will at some point become pervasive according to Robert Bosch GmbH executives speaking at their annual International Automotive Press Briefing.

The executives believe that there are still important technological challenges for powertrain electrification to overcome and that there will be ongoing efficiency improvements to combustion engine technology.

Currently, Bosch is active in both areas as a supplier but is working hard to get the electric drive of the future ready for large scale series production. This has not come at the sacrifice of improving internal combustion technology however, as the company is due to invest €3billion in research and development over the course of the year.

Dr Bernd Bohr predicts that the electric car will come, but in small numbers at first occupying a niche. He does not expect it to make a significant mark on the roads until after 2020. He predicts that by 2015 there will be a sales volume of around 500,000 electric vehicles worldwide.

Meanwhile, by 2015 he expects the market will see three-cylinder, 1.1- or 1.2 litre engines powered by both petrol and diesel, that will offer around 134hp of power and performance much like today’s 2.0 litre four-cylinder engines but with much greater fuel efficiency thanks to start-stop engines, a thermal management system, a higher efficient generator with a control unit that uses additional braking energy and many other support functions.