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Electrical System

100 Years of the Bosch Spark Plug - Historical Milestones

1902:
January 7: Bosch receives a patent for the combination of an innovative spark plug with the high-voltage magneto. The first systems are delivered on September 24, 1902 to Daimler-Motorengesellschaft. Several hundred spark plugs are made annually in the first few years.

1903:
Bosch equipped a Daimler-Benz entry with a Bosch magneto and spark plugs to win the Gordon Bennet Race in Ireland...one of the first automotive races ever run.

1911:
Ray Harroun used Bosch spark plugs in his Marmon Wasp to win the first Indianapolis 500.

1914:
First spark plug plant established in Stuttgart, Germany.

1927:
Bosch introduces the concept of spark plug "heat ranges" which, to this day, is the standard measure for the thermal exposure of a spark plug to ensure that the spark plug runs neither too "hot" or too "cold" in a given engine.

1939:
Spark plug plant established in Bamberg, Germany.

1953:
Bosch spark plug with dual-material center electrode used as a standard feature in the "Gull Wing" Mercedes-Benz 300SL. Advantages: More reliable cold start and longer service life.

1968:
The Bamberg plant produces the one-billionth spark plug.

1976:
Dual-material center electrode, "Thermoelastic" plugs in large scale production.

1980s:
The adaptation of the spark plug to modified fuels and new technology makes engines cleaner and more economical (lead-free gasoline, catalytic converter, 4-valve engine, lean mixture, etc.)

1983:
Bosch treads a completely new path in the field of spark plug technology with the introduction of the Bosch Platinum Spark Plug. Featuring a pure platinum center electrode, heat fused into an extended ceramic insulator, the Bosch Platinum Plug reaches its self-cleaning temperature faster, for quicker starts, smoother acceleration, and top fuel efficiency. (The Bosch Platinum Plug for the North American market was introduced in 1985.)

1991:
Bosch introduces a surface air gap spark plug design that increases the electrode gap for better ignition, thus preventing fouling and misfiring, even in the case of stop-and-go and short-distance driving.

1995:
Nickel-yttrium electrode material increases the spark plug life.

1998:
Bosch introduces the Platinum +4 Spark Plug for the North American market. With four times the amount of pure platinum in its center electrode versus Bosch Platinum, plus four ground electrodes, Bosch Platinum +4 creates the most powerful spark ever.

2000:
The seven-billionth Bosch spark plug is produced. Delivery of optimally adapted spark plugs for the especially economical gasoline direct injection based on the stratified charge principle is accomplished. The entire engine management system also is from Bosch.

2001:
Bosch introduces the Platinum2 Spark Plug with double the amount of pure platinum in its center electrode vs. Bosch Platinum, plus two ground electrodes and surface air gaps for a more powerful spark.

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