Peugeot, Citroen, Opel to launch hybrid hydrogen-battery vans

PARIS -- Stellantis will launch hybrid hydrogen and battery-electric medium commercial vans from Peugeot, Citroen and Opel by the end of the year, with the promise of 400 km (250 miles) of range and a fill-up time of about three minutes.

The "mid-power" hydrogen fuel cell drivetrain on the Citroen Jumpy, Opel Vivaro and Peugeot Expert could be extended to passenger cars, the company said on Wednesday during an online event.

Stellantis says its hybrid drivetrain eliminates some of the drawbacks of pure hydrogen fuel-cell drivetrains, such as those on vehicles from Hyundai and Toyota, including high costs. It is working with partners including supplier Faurecia and Symbio, a joint venture of Faurecia and tiremaker Michelin.

Renault has also committed to hydrogen in commercial vans. It now sells a fuel cell version of the Kangoo small van, and plans to offer larger commercial vans by 2022 with a hybrid electric/hydrogen drivetrain, through a partnership with Plug Power that also includes fueling stations.

Stellantis says its hybrid system saves money by using an existing full-electric van platform. Three 700-bar hydrogen tanks take the place of long-range batteries under the floor, conserving cargo space. 

A small fuel cell stack powers an electric motor, which can be recharged by a version of the plug-in hybrid system used on Peugeot, Citroen, Opel and DS models. Stellantis says that if hydrogen refueling is not available, the vans can go 50 km (31 miles) on battery power alone. A small battery is under the passenger compartment.

Another advantage to having battery electric power is that it allows the fuel cells to operate in optimum conditions, increasing efficiency and durability, Stellantis says. The vans start in full-electric mode for the first mile and the battery is used to bolster acceleration. The system was developed in Ruesselsheim, Germany, the hometown of the Opel brand.

"It's the best of both energies," said Carla Gohin, senior vice president of research and innovation. The high cost of hydrogen technology is "clearly one of the challenges" that could be resolved through large production volumes, she added.

"We just need to start" production to build momentum, she said. "We aim to build this through real customers, real business-to-business customers."

Xavier Peugeot, the head of Stellantis' light-commercial vehicles unit, said the hybrid vans provide a zero-emissions solution for buyers who need longer range and faster fueling time.

He said Stellantis found that while 83 percent of customers drive less than 200 km a day, well within full-electric range, more than 50 percent said that they drove 300 km a day or more, at least occasionally. 

"There is still a share of customers who drive more than 300 km, and that's why we are offering a hydrogen medium van," he said. Peugeot declined to give prices for the vans. Peugeot said Stellantis was examining the possibility of offering the system on vans from its other brands, which include Fiat.

Stellantis will first focus on the French and German markets. Germany has about 90 hydrogen refueling stations and France just 25, according to the automaker.

Governments in both countries are encouraging development of more stations as part of programs to limit carbon emissions, and have committed billions to developing a viable hydrogen infrastructure across all sectors.

Momentum around using hydrogen for on-road vehicles has been mixed. While Nikola has plans for fuel cell-powered big rigs, Traton, the truckmaker majority-owned by Volkswagen Group, favors batteries. Toyota and Hyundai have started hydrogen projects, with limited production passenger vehicles. 

Stellantis's French rival Renault recently formed a joint venture with Plug Power to build hydrogen-fueled delivery vans in Europe. They plan to start offering both vehicles and hydrogen-fueling stations by early 2022.

Europe is pinning its green hopes on hydrogen extraction through renewable energy, with backers describing it as key to decarbonizing industrial processes such as refining and steel making, and is more suitable than using batteries to power heavy trucks, trains, boats and even airplanes. 
Detractors say so-called green hydrogen faces daunting technical and cost challenges.

Bloomberg contributed to this report