Following the agreement between Stellantis and Hype for 1,000 hydrogen-powered taxis adapted for PRMs (persons with reduced mobility), we have just learnt that Symbio will be providing its technical expertise.
We already mentioned the partnership between Stellantis and Hype in a previous article. This partnership provides for the deployment of up to 1,000 PRM taxis by the end of 2024. But only if they obtain the “Parisian PRM taxi” operating licence as part of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Symbio and Hype are already about to deploy an initial fleet of 50 hydrogen-powered PRM taxis in the Paris region. The first vehicles were put into service at the 43rd congress of the association APF France handicap* last June.
Technical expertise and feedback
As part of this partnership, Symbio (which supplies fuel cells for Stellantis) will provide its technical expertise and after-sales service network. As for Hype, it will share the experience it collected of its vehicles that have already been introduced. The aim is to continuously improving the technology so that it eventually becomes widely adopted. This partnership fits in perfectly with Hype’s strategy, which aims to deploy its integrated hydrogen mobility platform in 15 cities in France and abroad by the end of 2025.
For Symbio, this partnership is a great showcase. “The rapid deployment of the Hype fleet is a unique opportunity for Symbio to demonstrate the performance of our technology under real conditions of use, with a partner experienced in the adoption of hydrogen-powered electric vehicles,” comments Philippe Rosier, the Symbio’s CEO. And it’s also a key element in the ramp-up of its industrial facilities. Symbio will start up its Gigafactory in Saint-Fons, near Lyon, in 2024. And as part of the HyMotive IPCEI, the company plans to build two plants by 2028. Together they will bring the production capacity to 100,000 systems a year.
*The association campaigns to give people with disabilities equal rights and the opportunity to exercise their citizenship.
Do you want to learn more about hydrogen taxis, Symbio and Hype? Then our latest 2 articles on these subjects should interest you. You can read one about Hype and their hydrogen taxis here and one about Symbio here.
Article written by Laurent Meillaud and translated by Logan King
