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Stellantis pulls plug on hydrogen fuel cell vans
techxplore.com ^ | July 16, 2025 | Andrew Zinin

Posted on 07/17/2025 8:11:52 AM PDT by Red Badger

Jeep-maker Stellantis said Wednesday it was pulling the plug on plans to build light vans using hydrogen fuel cells, saying it saw no prospects for it to be commercially viable.

The company, whose stable of brands also includes Peugeot, Citroen and Fiat, had planned to begin serial production of commercial vans equipped with hydrogen fuel cells this summer at sites in northern France and southern Poland.

"The hydrogen market remains a niche segment, with no prospects of mid-term economic sustainability," said Jean-Philippe Imparato, Stellantis's chief operating officer for the European region.

The company cited limited availability of hydrogen refueling infrastructure, high capital requirements, and the need for stronger consumer purchasing incentives.

"We must make clear and responsible choices to ensure our competitiveness and meet the expectations of our customers with our electric and hybrid passenger and light commercial vehicles offensive," Imparato added.

Hydrogen fuel cell technology was seen as a possible rival to battery electric vehicles to reach zero emissions. When hydrogen and air are fed into a cell it creates electricity and water.

The technology could offer faster refill times than recharging electric batteries, but also involves creating expensive new infrastructure and most hydrogen is currently produced from natural gas without capturing the greenhouse gas emissions.

Only Toyota, Hyundai and BMW are still developing fuel cell vehicles and few models are on the roads.

France's Renault shut its hydrogen fuel cell factory at the start of the year.

Stellantis said staff at the factories would be reassigned to other tasks, but acknowledged the move would create "financial challenges" for fuel cell supplier Symbio.

Stellantis took a stake in Symbio in 2023 alongside tire manufacturer Michelin and auto parts supplier Forvia.

Symbio opened a fuel cell factory near the French city of Lyon in 2023.

Stellantis said it had launched discussions with the other shareholders in Symbio, but Michelin called the announcement "unexpected, brutal and uncoordinated".

Forvia noted that Stellantis accounts for nearly 80% of Symbio's activity.

Stellantis's announcement will have serious and immediate operational and financial repercussions for the future of Symbio, it said.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS:

1 posted on 07/17/2025 8:11:52 AM PDT by Red Badger
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To: Red Badger

Hydrogen refueling infrastructure , there is none ,LOL


2 posted on 07/17/2025 8:26:08 AM PDT by butlerweave
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To: butlerweave

Easy, just have the government mandate it and then they will be good to go...


3 posted on 07/17/2025 8:29:45 AM PDT by packrat35 (Pureblood! No clot shot for me!)
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To: Red Badger

“The company cited limited availability of hydrogen refueling infrastructure, high capital requirements, and the need for stronger consumer purchasing incentives. The technology involves creating expensive new infrastructure and most hydrogen is currently produced from natural gas without capturing the greenhouse gas emissions.”

most FReepers could have told them all of that [and more] BEFORE they sunk billions into tilting at windmills ...

however, Toyota, Hyundai and BMW are still tilting ...


4 posted on 07/17/2025 8:33:44 AM PDT by catnipman ((A Vote For The Lesser Of Two Evils Still Counts As A Vote For Evil))
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To: catnipman

My understanding was that, longer term, hydrogen was more viable than electric. It probably makes sense to continue exploring.


5 posted on 07/17/2025 8:38:59 AM PDT by alternatives?
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To: packrat35

Just like electric vehicle mandate in NY. Life would be awesome if reality didn’t keep rearing its ugly head.


6 posted on 07/17/2025 9:02:37 AM PDT by Dutch Boy (The only thing worse than having something taken from you is to have it returned broken. )
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To: alternatives?
My understanding was that, longer term, hydrogen was more viable than electric. It probably makes sense to continue exploring.

IMHO the debate between gas cars vs EVs vs hydrogen still comes down to one thing: the left will always try to limit our access to the energy we need. (Even if the limiting process isn't a hard cut-off like mark-of-the-beast but pricing that energy out of our reach). So if we become a mostly hydrogen economy, the left will try to regulate that away for the climate, even if the left is the one that forces us to switch to hydrogen in the first place (again, in the name of the climate). Just like they're trying to limit (or price out) gasoline because we do most transportation through gasoline.

Thus, the argument I'd rather win is to figure out how to keep the left from implementing their warmageddon cult energy policies. Until we do that, it doesn't matter which cars or energy we think is more viable.

So I handle that by having two different types of cars: one gasoline pickup and one EV car. That way, the left can't limit mine and my wife's transportation unless they mess up both power and gasoline. And that's just for long trip driving. For local, home charged, driving, which we do 18K miles of each year, they can't stop us from doing that because we have tons of solar. (Almost always charging the EV with homemade power from solar.)

7 posted on 07/17/2025 9:06:25 AM PDT by Tell It Right (1 Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
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To: Red Badger

Squeeze a zepin into a van with the room remaining more like a miata....suprized not more demand.


8 posted on 07/17/2025 9:07:18 AM PDT by If You Want It Fixed - Fix It
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To: Red Badger

Good. That makes my Tesla stock worth that much more.


9 posted on 07/17/2025 9:29:57 AM PDT by eastexsteve
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To: butlerweave
Hydrogen refueling infrastructure , there is none ,LOL

The idea is to have the vehicle create its own hydrogen. Most of the current technologies aren't there yet.

10 posted on 07/17/2025 9:33:37 AM PDT by eastexsteve
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To: Red Badger

Their flagship model is the Hindenburg line.


11 posted on 07/17/2025 9:55:05 AM PDT by Resolute Conservative
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To: Tell It Right

Good points and true.

Ignoring the left, my thinking was if you run out of oil, hydrogen seems more practical than electric for driving. Even if it doesn’t work out, putting all of your eggs in one technology seems risky.


12 posted on 07/17/2025 9:56:59 AM PDT by alternatives?
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To: alternatives?
Ignoring the left, my thinking was if you run out of oil, hydrogen seems more practical than electric for driving. Even if it doesn’t work out, putting all of your eggs in one technology seems risky.

I think that's a fair point. And I looked at hydrogen backup storage for my home, with a fuel cell generator if my home batteries were drained, and an electrolyzer to generate hydrogen during the days when I have more solar than I need for the home, charging the EV, and charging the solar batteries. As of now it'd be way too costly. I'd rather pay the $71/month average power bill. But if the Dims keep up their "Christian nationalism" hatred and push their warmageddon energy policies further, I may do something like that.

Bonus points if a HEV (hydrogen EV) can be made with a larger battery. If we could get a range on a full charge from the battery alone as much as I get in my EV, then switch to hydrogen providing the power when battery power goes away, it might be the best of both worlds. Imagine driving on battery charges alone if you're going through areas with plenty of fast chargers that charge the EV in 10-15 minutes (like all but 2 of the chargers in my August 1,740 mile trip did). But when you go through areas that are sparsely populated and have probably few fast chargers (maybe Wyoming and west Texas), use the hydrogen that you saved up for those rare moments. It seems like the tech wouldn't be complicated. Either way it's an EV with electric motors, the only thing that changes is where the power comes from.

13 posted on 07/17/2025 10:15:39 AM PDT by Tell It Right (1 Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
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To: catnipman
however, Toyota, Hyundai and BMW are still tilting ., https://youtu.be/fswvIFTKM3w
14 posted on 07/17/2025 10:27:19 AM PDT by spokeshave (Proud Boys, Angry Dads. Grumpy Grandads & Curmudgeons)
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To: spokeshave

https://youtu.be/fswvIFTKM3w


15 posted on 07/17/2025 10:28:20 AM PDT by spokeshave (Proud Boys, Angry Dads. Grumpy Grandads & Curmudgeons)
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To: Red Badger

Electric vehicles will eventually win the vehicle propulsion race when there is better battery technology (and it is coming soon). The problem (and both of my vehicles are now Teslas), is that we still need the energy to charge all these EVs. It cannot be done with just renewable energy. So drill baby drill!😄


16 posted on 07/17/2025 11:33:49 AM PDT by willk (Local news media. Just as big an enemy to this country as national media)
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To: alternatives?

“My understanding was that, longer term, hydrogen was more viable than electric. It probably makes sense to continue exploring.”

1. hydrogen comes from cracking petroleum, with all the carbon is a waste product, so no savings in carbon, plus the energy to crack ...

2. hydrogen has to be compressed to transport, contain or store, which required enoromous expenditures of energy

3. hydrogen is EXTREMELY difficult to handle: it’s one of the most reactive/corrosive substances on the planet: hydrogen hates to remain elemental ... so anything used to capture, transport, contain or store hydrogen has to be inert.

4. hydrogen is the smallest atom in the universe, and it EXTREMELY difficult to contain without leaking

5. hydrogen is EXTREMELY flammable AND explosive: re: the Hindenburg disaster ...


17 posted on 07/17/2025 11:50:03 AM PDT by catnipman ((A Vote For The Lesser Of Two Evils Still Counts As A Vote For Evil))
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To: Red Badger

The energy density of hydrogen sucks.


18 posted on 07/17/2025 12:28:41 PM PDT by nagant
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To: nagant

Yes, that’s why we have to fuse it to make Helium..................


19 posted on 07/17/2025 12:29:34 PM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegals are put up in 5 Star hotels....................)
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