Symbio, the European leader in Fuel Cell Systems and innovative partner of hydrogen mobility pioneers, and Hype, an independent pure player in hydrogen mobility, announce their partnership to support the quick deployment of the world’s first hydrogen taxis fleet (Crit’Air 0), suitable for the transportation of people with limited mobility.
This agreement is part of the global partnership set by Stellantis and Hype aiming at deploying up to 1000 Crit’Air 0 taxis dedicated to transport people with reduced mobility by the end of 2024, provided they are granted the “Taxi Parisien PMR” (Parisian taxi for people with disabilities) business license that is currently being instructed by the French Government according to the mechanism provided for under Article 26 of the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games law.
Hype and Stellantis are already deploying a first fleet of 50 hydrogen “Taxis PMR” in the Île-de-France region surrounding Paris. The first taxis to hit the road did so in June 2023 at the occasion of the 43rd congress of APF France Handicap, the French leading association representing people with disabilities.
As part of the partnership between Symbio and Hype:
- Symbio will provide their technical expertise as well as their after-sale network to support Hype in operating Stellantis vehicles equipped with Symbio Fuel Cell Systems.
- Hype will share feedback from their on-road vehicles with Symbio, strengthening Symbio’s continuous technological improvement approach, supporting the large-scale deployment of fuel cell technology.
This partnership perfectly matches Hype’s strategy to deploy its hydrogen mobility integrated platform across 15 French and international cities by the end of 2025. For Symbio, this partnership for the deployment of a first large fleet of vehicles over the next 12 months is a significant milestone in Symbio’s industrial scale up plan, part of its IPCEI-supported HyMotive** project that envisages the construction of two plants by 2028 bringing total production capacity to 100 000 systems per year.
(*) The Crit'Air sticker (air quality certificate) classifies vehicles according to the fine particles and levels of nitrogen oxide that they emit, 0-level being best-in-class. Crit'Air stickers are mandatory for driving in low-emissions zones introduced by certain French local authorities or for driving when the préfet introduces emissions-based traffic restrictions during periods of pollution.
(**) Symbio’s HyMotive project is funded by the European Union (Next Generation EU), and the French Government (France 2030, France Relance).