For the take-off of the hydrogen mobility market, waiting stations of car manufacturers. The manufacturers who produce these stations are hoping for their part to have enough vehicles on the road to get the demand for charging off the ground. This story of the chicken and the egg, McPhy intends to go further by increasing its production capacities thanks to a new plant inaugurated in Grenoble. “The challenge is to grow towards an industrial culture“, confirms Jean-Baptiste Lucas, general manager of this French company. On 4,100 m², the Grenoble site will multiply its production by seven. PIIEC framework (Important Project of Common European Interest). Twenty others are also in favor of McPhy, such as the decision of the European Parliament of 19 October 2022, impose a hydrogen charging station every 100 km, along the main European motorways by 2028 *. But it is above all the explosion in the price of fossil fuels that gives color to hydrogen. Green instead of gray because demand is now focused on carbon-free hydrogen.
Produce or distribute green hydrogen locally
McPhy made a specialty of producing this “green hydrogen”: its electrolysers use only renewable energy to extract the hydrogen atoms contained in the water. Its Grenoble plant produces both electrolysers, which make it possible to produce hydrogen at any site, and stations that simply distribute this energy by feeding on the same principle as a petrol pump. The choice of one or the other equipment is explained by the customer’s need “You must have the right product for the application, which is different for a taxi and a bus “evokes Antoine Ressicaud, MacPhy’s deputy general manager in charge of operations. One absorbs in fact from 5 to 10 kg of hydrogen in full, the other about twenty kilos. “Our approach is modular, which allows us to add a distributor or warehouse“adds the manager.
Heavy transports are the “first users”
The other advantage of these stations is their ability to deliver hydrogen at both 350 and 700 bar of pressure, which is suitable for all types of vehicles, heavy or light. “Above all, we believe in heavy mobility and intensive use, where hydrogen has a competitive advantage over batteries “, emphasizes Jean-Baptiste Lucas. This type of energy allows you to carry heavy loads with great autonomy and above all to refuel in almost a flash: less than five minutes for a car and 15 to 20 minutes for a heavy vehicle. “The business model is that of the Hype taxis of which we are partners“says the manager. These cars, which cross the Île-de-France, need a high autonomy and above all to recharge quickly so as not to lose customers. After local authorities, such as the metropolis of Dijon, who have chosen hydrogen to power their buses and household waste bins, companies are also interested in this energy.
Next goal: heavy riders on light vehicles
In addition to heavy transport, small stations can be relevant at sites with large fleets of light vehicles driving a lot. Of course the necessary investment is still calculated on seven figures but market growth and producers’ economies of scale suggest falling prices. Most importantly, the cost of refueling is becoming more competitive as fossil fuel prices rise. This competitiveness of green hydrogen could be further marked if the 27 Member States of the European Union reached an agreement in Brussels. As part of the ongoing reform of the European energy market, the possibility of decoupling the price of electricity from that of gas is being discussed. A turning point that is as historic as it is ecological for mobility in Europe and for hydrogen players in particular.
* Subject to the final adoption of this provision, which is part of the revision of the “Afir” directive (regulation on alternative fuels infrastructures), under discussion in Brussels.
