In a counter-cycle to the position of the Volkswagen Group, which, through the voice of its executive director, shows little faith in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, the Renault Group continues to reinforce the commitment to hydrogen mobility.
Proof of this is the recent joint venture that the French giant created together with Plug Power Inc., the world leader in hydrogen and fuel cell solutions.
The joint venture, equally owned by the two companies, goes by the name “HYVIA” — a designation that derives from the contraction of “HY” for hydrogen and the Latin word for road “VIA” — and has as CEO David Holderbach, who has more than 20 years of experience in the Renault Group.
What are the goals?
The goal of “HYVIA” is to “contribute to the decarbonisation of mobility in Europe”. For this, the company that intends to position France “at the forefront of industrial and commercial development of this technology of the future” already has a plan.
This is about offering a complete ecosystem of turnkey solutions: light commercial vehicles equipped with fuel cells, charging stations, carbon-free hydrogen supply, maintenance and fleet management.
Established at four locations in France, “HYVIA” will see the first three fuel cell-equipped cars launched under its aegis reach the European market at the end of 2022. All based on the Renault Master platform these will have versions for transport of goods (Van and Chassis Cabin) and for passenger transport (an urban “mini-bus”).
Luca de Meo, CEO of the Renault GroupWith the creation of the HYVIA partnership, the Renault Group pursues its objective of, by 2030, having the share of the greenest vehicles in the market.
According to the statement in which “HYVIA” was presented, the Renault Group states that “HYVIA's hydrogen technology complements Renault's E-TECH technology, increasing the car's range up to 500 km, with a recharge time of only three minutes".