More and more carmakers are preparing for the arrival of hydrogen
Following on from the agreement announced between BMW and Toyota, it is worth remembering that several carmakers are offering, or will be offering, hydrogen-powered models. And the list is set to lengthen.
In 2009, a number of manufacturers (Daimler, Ford, GM/Opel, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Renault/Nissan and Toyota) announced their intention to offer fuel cell vehicles from 2015 onwards. In the end, Hyundai and Toyota were the only ones to actually honour this commitment. Mercedes gave up after producing several prototypes (and entrusted the mission to its truck division), GM and Opel never went into series production and Honda never did what it took to come out of hiding. However, the Japanese manufacturer is back on the market with a CRV for Japan and the USA, with a fuel cell co-produced with General Motors. Nonetheless, Hyundai and Toyota were wrong to believe that hydrogen would first be used in cars and that refuelling stations would follow along. We now know that demand lies in heavy mobility.
Carmakers and hydrogen: here’s the latest news
BMW released a H2 version of the X5. And recently, BMW and Toyota decided to strengthen their cooperation with the promise of making the fuel cell more accessible by 2028 (the year of BMW’s first production model). As for Toyota, the Japanese group showed at the Olympic Games that hydrogen mobility is a reality. It is just a shame that mainstream media did not mention it, and that the entire exhibition was deployed just for the guests and partners.
However, Hyundai is not giving up on hydrogen. It is continuing to move forward and is launching discussions, particularly with General Motors and more recently with Skoda (with whom a cooperation seems to be underway). This is highly symbolic since we are talking about the Volkswagen group, which was rather resistant to hydrogen (even though Porsche is exploring e-fuels and H2 engines).
Focus on French carmakers
In France, Stellantis and Renault are in the running. Both carmakers offer hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles. Stellantis initially launched compact vans under the Citroën, Peugeot and Opel brands. Next will come large vans (including the Opel Movano presented at the IAA), with an extension to Fiat and RAM. For the time being, Renault is playing the Hyvia card (its joint venture with Plug). This joint-venture offers a Master H2-tech, the latest version of which impressed at the IAA Transportation show.
But there’s more to it. Under its own brand, Renault has already presented a concept car with a hydrogen engine (the Scenic Vision H2). Furthermore, Alpine is using this technology as well on the Alpenglow, of which an improved version with a 6-cylinder engine will be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show.
Alpine is planning both to launch a racing car and to offer road-going models, in addition to an electric offer. By using a hydrogen engine, the brand wants to keep offering the same noise and vibrations to its customers. It should be noted that motor sport is going to play a role of lever. Thanks to the Le Mans 24 Hours, which will be launching a hydrogen category from 2028, several manufacturers will be coming out of the woodwork. With a fuel cell or an engine, they will be competing. And thanks to the work of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, Formula 1 may well adopt hydrogen after 2030.
In short, a lot is going to happen between now and the end of the decade. There will be more stations and a production, storage and distribution ecosystem that is still lacking today, except for captive fleets.
Article written by Laurent Meillaud and translated by Logan King
