The Stellantis group, fifth automaker on the global level, announced on Wednesday the end of its development program in hydrogen. It abandons its offer of utility vehicles equipped with fuel cells, citing “the absence of medium -term prospects for the hydrogen market”.
Stellantis, a group which brings together 15 automotive brands, including Opel, Fiat, Peugeot, Citroën, Chrsler, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Maserati or Jeep, puts an end to its pioneer offer of utility vehicles equipped with fuel cells.
The group “does not anticipate the adoption of light hydrogen utility vehicles before the end of the” due “decade of the limited availability of hydrogen supply infrastructure, the considerable investments required and the need for very high incentives for customers,” he said.
Fatal signal
It is a new fatal signal for hydrogen in transport, while part of the automotive industry – and European states, like France – has been trying for a few years to make it an alternative to the large batteries of electric vehicles.
Compared to electrical utilities, which are starting to multiply in cities, hydrogen vehicles have a short recharge duration and long autonomy, close to diesel, advantages sought by logistics companies such as local communities. They also need smaller batteries, and therefore fewer raw materials. But hydrogen models remain very expensive to buy, around a hundred thousand euros per unit, and charging stations, expensive to install, are rare.
A “niche segment”
“The hydrogen market remains a niche segment, without perspectives of economic profitability in the medium term,” justified the director of Stellantis for Europe Jean-Philippe Imparato.
Renault also put liquidation in early 2025 its factory of oil hydrogen utilities (Yvelines). 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.
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Agencies/Vic
