With the snow-capped Andes in the background, Hyvolution Chile opens its doors to the general public today, Wednesday, 28 June.

Hyvolution Chile opens its doors to international exhibitors and visitors

There are no fewer than 46 exhibitors at this first edition of Hyvolution Chile. And Toyota’s Mirai has not missed the occasion to show off. As soon as you walk through the doors of Hyvolution Chile, the glittering blue colour of the car immediately catches the eye. The vehicle is presented as Chile’s first hydrogen-powered car (“el primer auto a hidrógeno en Chile”). To find out more about Toyota, you can read our latest article on the group’s hydrogen strategy here.

France answered the call

France came in numbers for this first edition. Naturally, Hyvolution Paris 2024 is here, represented at booth 202 and hosted by Pierre Buchou and Florence Rousson Mompo. The French Chamber of Commerce is also representing French companies such as Alstom, EDF and Total.

There will also be a number of French speakers, including Mikaa Mered, who will be taking part in the 7th panel of the event tomorrow. The panel is entitled “The Chile-Europe hydrogen value chain: what are the next steps?”

Opening ceremony and ribbon cutting

The opening of the event began with the playing of Chile’s national anthem, followed by a short video clip on the country’s potential. Francisco Sotomayor, Chairman of GL events Chile, then spoke. He recalled that the 6th edition of Hyvolution Paris (held last February) was attended by representatives from 70 countries and more than 8,000 visitors. The Chairman of GL events also took the opportunity to recount the evolution of the event since it was created. The first edition (in 2013) took place in the little French town of Albi and it had nothing to do with what the event is today.

He also spoke in detail about Chile’s opportunities regarding hydrogen. Concretely, the country has significant potential for photovoltaics in the north (Antofagasta, Atacama Desert) and the centre (Santiago region), and for wind power in the south (Magallanes region). He also reminds us that this first edition outside Europe (and the first in Latin America) will bring together international exhibitors coming from countries including France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Australia to name a few. This 3-day event will also host 71 speakers through 12 panels.

Several other speakers took the floor, including Hans Kulenkampff, President of the Chilean hydrogen association H2 Chile. Finally, it was the Minister for Energy, Diego Pardow, who went on stage. He highlighted Chile’s 2 major comparative advantages. On the one hand, its natural resources and, on the second hand, the Government’s commitment in fighting climate change and investing in hydrogen. He also emphasised the importance of SMEs in developing the hydrogen value chain.

The inauguration of this first edition of Hyvolution Chile ended with the traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Do you want to learn more about the programme? Our latest article on the subject should interest you. You can read it here.