Renault group, Alpine, Hyvia and Plug will be taking the stage at the opening of the Dutch Grand Prix, which takes place this weekend in Zandvoort, to talk about hydrogen mobility.
This event was announced last May, in conjunction with Hyvia’s participation in the World Hydrogen Summit in Rotterdam. The Grand Prix will open with a prestigious conference on the theme of hydrogen. It will feature: Bruno Famin, Director of Alpine Motorsports, David Holderbach, CEO of Hyvia, Andy Marsh, CEO of Plug, Heinz-Jürgen Löw, Senior Vice President of Renault Commercial Vehicles and Anouk Poelmann, CEO of Renault Group Netherlands. This speech is part of the partnership between the BWT Alpine F1 Team, Hyvia and Plug.
Hydrogen in F1?
Regarding Alpine, we know that hydrogen is being investigated by the brand through its Alpenglow concept car. The brand has opted for a hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine, suitable for sports and competition cars. Alpine sees this as “an essential step in the decarbonisation of the next generations of Formula 1 and endurance cars.”
The arrival of hydrogen in F1 is of great interest to Plug. The American group has indeed been a partner of the team since 2021.
Hyvia is betting on the fuel cell
Hyvia (which is a joint venture between Plug and Renault) has built a range of products around the fuel cell. This activity, which began two years ago, is now taking shape, notably with the Master Van H2-Tech. After receiving European type-approval in early 2023, the vehicle was tested in the Netherlands (an important market for the company), France, Spain and, more recently, Germany. The ambition is to reach 30% of the segment in Europe by 2030. It’s worth noting that the Master H2-Tech made a road-trip from the Flins factory to Zandvoort. On its way, it stopped at the Alpine F1 site at Viry-Châtillon (France). It also refuelled at the Hysetco station at Roissy-CDG, then in Hal in Belgium, Duisburg in Germany (at Plug’s) and Arnhem in the Netherlands.
Plug is delighted to be working with Hyvia to support the deployment of hydrogen-powered vehicles. The American group is contributing its cutting-edge fuel cell technology (over 60,000 have been sold to date) and the production of green hydrogen using proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis. Plug can also supply stations (it has installed 185 in total, more than any other company in the world).
Support from Renault
Renault’s commercial vehicles division believes that hydrogen is “particularly relevant for intensive use by professionals and complements the electric to offer sustainable, customised and uncompromising intelligent solutions.” Distribution is operating through the Renault Pro+ network. The aim is to have the greenest mix on the market by 2030.
Renault Group in the Netherlands seems delighted with the first orders for Hyvia and the partners who will be responsible for servicing, repairs and maintenance. For several years now, the Netherlands have been at the forefront of zero-emission mobility. It is expected that around thirty cities will become low-emission zones by 2024. An opportunity that should encourage hydrogen mobility.
Article written by Laurent Meillaud and translated by Logan King
