Meanwhile,
Automobile: hydrogen vacillates withdrawal stellantis::
Is hydrogen an energy of the future for the automobile? In addition, Stellantis has just responded in the negative by sanding its utility program. Nevertheless, while some manufacturers like Toyota still believe in it.
The new management of Stellantis (Marques Fiat. However, Peugeot) announced on Wednesday ending its development program in hydrogen, a news that resounded like a thunderclap on Wednesday morning in the factory of its Co -enterprise Symbio, which plays its future.
Brand new. Furthermore, the Lyon suburbs were planned to produce 50,000 hydrogen systems per year by 2026, a large part of which for Stellantis, to support the rise of its offer of utility.
Stellantis represented 80% of Symbio’s activity and even entered the company’s capital. Similarly, Founded by Michelin and the equipment supplier forvia, Symbio has 590 employees in France automobile: hydrogen vacillates withdrawal stellantis: and 50 abroad. In addition,
The management of Michelin. Consequently, informed in May, condemned on Wednesday an “unexpected, brutal and non -concerted decision”, “all the more surprising since Stellantis has always displayed the ambition of being the pioneer of this new market”.
The cessation of hydrogen utilities will have “irreversible operational. However, financial consequences” for Symbio, added Michelin and Forvia on Wednesday in a joint press release. However,
It is also a new fatal signal for hydrogen in transport.
– “niche” market –
Hydrogen vehicles operate thanks to a pure form of oxygen combined in oxygen in a combustion cell that generates electricity. and only gives off water vapor.
Compared to electric utilities. which are starting to multiply in cities, hydrogen vehicles are quickly recharged and benefit from great autonomy, criteria particularly sought after by companies. automobile: hydrogen vacillates withdrawal stellantis:
They also need smaller batteries, and therefore fewer raw materials.
But hydrogen models are very expensive to buy. around a hundred thousand euros per unit, and charging stations, expensive to install, remain rare.
For Jean-Philippe Imparato. director of Stellantis for Europe, “the hydrogen market remains a niche segment, without perspectives of economic profitability in the medium term”.
However, France has just subsidized the purchase of these hydrogen vans, by putting them at prices with electric models.
The French State indeed displays the ambition to become a “leader of decarbon hydrogen”. with a total of 9 billion euros of public money put on the table via the France Relaunch and France 2030 plans.
This energy is particularly useful for the decarbonation of the fertilizer industry, petrochemicals, steel industry or heavy transport.
– BMW, Toyota automobile: hydrogen vacillates withdrawal stellantis: –
Renault also put liquidation in early 2025 its factory of oil hydrogen utilities (Yvelines).
“Basically, there is no market for hydrogen vehicles (…). We sell cars at a loss,” said Renault boss at the time, Luca de Meo, in front of deputies.
Above all. the amount of “green” hydrogen produced from renewable energies, making this energy much less polluting, is still insufficient, had stressed the Italian boss.
Among the car manufacturers. only Toyota, Hyundai and BMW continue to believe it with small development programs and a handful of vehicles in the streets.
BMW still plans to launch on the market in 2028 an SUV converted to hydrogen. in partnership with Toyota, the world’s n ° 1 of the automobile and great support of this energy.
“Removing the hydrogen from the game would be automobile: hydrogen vacillates withdrawal stellantis: a mistake. ” warned the boss of the German manufacturer Oliver Zipse on Wednesday in an interview with the Die Welt newspaper.
This is a question of strategic independence. according to Oliver Zipse: “Hydrogen is the only technology that Europe can use independently,” he said, while for batteries, the continent remains dependent on Asian suppliers.
Aware of these strategic issues. China has already become the world leader in hydrogen and multiplies innovations: at the end of 2024, it had 540 charging stations and 24,000 vehicles equipped, according to a government report quoted by the S&P agency.
At the end of May, the Chinese group Wanrun saved Safra bankruptcy, the sole French hydrogen bus builder.
Posted on July 16 at 6:05 p.m. AFP
Automobile: hydrogen vacillates withdrawal stellantis:
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