ENGIE Solutions and Stellantis Join Forces To Create More Hydrogen Stations In France

In order to use a hydrogen vehicle, you need to be able to have access to hydrogen. In France, the number of hydrogen stations is still relatively low with about only 50 stations available to the public. However, Stellantis and ENGIE Solutions, which produces green hydrogen have announced that they are joining forces to change the situation.

With more than 50 experts entirely dedicated to hydrogen, a local and global zero-emission solution, particularly suitable for heavy and intensive mobility, ENGIE Solutions is a long-term partner that secures every step of its customers’ projects, from design to the operation of projects.

Stellantis marketed its first mid-sized hydrogen utility vehicles at the end of 2021. For the company, hydrogen is intended for “big wheel” professionals who then have 400 km (249 miles) of range, a charging time of 3 minutes, a zero-emission vehicle without any compromise on the useful capacity of the vehicle (1,000 kg or 2,204 lbs of payload).

At the heart of its electrification strategy, hydrogen is a major challenge for Stellantis as part of its commitment to carbon neutrality in 2038.

Stellantis has already announced its intentions to produce a hydrogen-powered Ram Heavy Duty sometime by the end of the decade. Currently, ENGIE North America has been working on solar, wind, and energy storage across the U.S. and Canada. The French partnership is just the first step, to what could develop more widely thereafter across Europe and maybe North America.

According to both companies, the three different types of offers are being looked at for the French project.

• The “Starting” offer: provision of a recharge for 20 to 40 vehicles per day;
• The “Pure Player” offer: installation at the customer’s home of an infrastructure that includes the provision of a medium-sized station for the charging of 100 to 200 light commercial vehicles per day;
• The “Ecosystem” offer: infrastructure adapted to the customer’s needs, which includes the production of hydrogen by electrolysis and a station for the charging of 200 to 400 vehicles per day.

This innovative, packaged and à la carte solution, which includes the vehicle and the supply of its hydrogen fuel, is particularly attractive for future customers wishing to decarbonize their mobility.

It perfectly meets their needs for autonomy, reduction of recharge time and proximity to stations, often absent in the local ecosystem. To do this, ENGIE Solutions includes, as part of the partnership with Stellantis, the installation of the storage station and the supply of hydrogen at a competitive price.

“While we already have several hundred orders for our hydrogen vehicles, this is a key step to meet the needs of heavy-duty professionals, who want to benefit from a carbon-free engine to access city centers,” explains Richard Meyer, Xavier Peugeot, Director of the Commercial Vehicles Business Unit at Stellantis. “This turnkey and tailor-made offer brings real added value to B to B customers who want to switch to hydrogen mobility.”

“This pioneering partnership with Stellantis confirms our pioneering positioning in hydrogen developments at the service of less emitting mobility,” says Olivier Arthaud, Managing Director of Hydrogen Mobility at ENGIE Solutions. “Through the operation of 18 hydrogen stations at the moment, our teams benefit from the strength of the experience necessary to develop this new partnership. The ENGIE group aims for a production capacity of 4 GW of renewable hydrogen by 2030, 700 km (435 miles) of dedicated networks and more than 100 charging stations for hydrogen mobility. Offering professionals an offer adapted to their needs, including the mode of travel and the associated fuel, is a major step in achieving these objectives. ”