Initiated by a number of *partners, the project of Hydrogen Highway in the Alps has reached a new stage, with the first hauliers and end customers for transport services signing up. As a result, 10 trucks will now be able to hit the road.

In all, 7 companies have given their agreement in principle to the project. This include Michelin, SATM (transport and logistics subsidiary of the Vicat cement group), Jaquemmoz, Codognotto, PUM, Citaix Charles André, and the Jacky Perrenot group. They have chosen to equip themselves with hydrogen-powered HGVs, which they will use on routes linking towns in the French Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region to Turin in northern Italy. This will save 4,000 tonnes of CO2.

In exchange, they will benefit from a subsidy** for the purchase of their vehicles. Membership also guarantees stable hydrogen prices per kg until 2032, as well as access to reduced fees for highway tolls, in line with the new European Eurovignette directive.

A virtuous ecosystem

The press release states that Michelin will be using two trucks for internal traffic between its Clermont-Ferrand site and the Italian factories in Turin and Cuneo. As part of its commitment to the energy transition, the Perrenot group plans to use 4 trucks. In anticipation of these customers, a future hydrogen station will have to be set up in the Maurienne Valley in the Alps.

This project of Hydrogen Highway in the Alps is a unique opportunity for the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, whose ambition is to position itself as a European leader in the field of renewable hydrogen for mobility. It is also a lever for competitiveness and attractiveness for the road haulage industry.

*HYmpulsion, AREA-APRR, SFTRF and the Maurienne Syndicate.

**This project is conditional on a positive response from the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (Ademe) to the current ecosystem CPFs.

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Article written by Laurent Meillaud and translated by Logan King