Hydrogen Mobility Europe (H2ME) – the ambitious multi-country, multi-partner project to demonstrate that hydrogen can support Europe’s future transport demands – today announced that the first 100 fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) deployed by H2ME are now on the road in Germany, France and the UK.

H2ME brings together eight European countries to address the actions required to make the hydrogen mobility sector truly ready for market. The largest-scale project of its kind, H2ME will:

Perform large-scale market tests of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure;

Deploy hundreds of passenger and commercial fuel cell electric vehicles operated in real-world customer applications;

Demonstrate the system benefits generated by using electrolytic hydrogen solutions in grid operations.

Sixty of Symbio’s Renault Kangoo ZE-H2 range-extended fuel cell vans have been deployed in the UK and France, supporting the development of a network of hydrogen refuelling stations in those markets. Powered by a compact 5 kW fuel cell module, coupled with a hydrogen storage unit and medium-size automotive battery pack, Symbio’s range-extender kit doubles the range of Renault’s electric-only Kangoo ZE model to 320 Km.

In addition, Daimler has deployed 40 B-Class F-CELL vehicles under H2ME in Germany. Thanks to the 700-bar, high-pressure fuel-tank system, the car has a long operating range of around 400 kilometres and can be refuelled in less than three minutes. The vehicle’s electric motor develops an output of 100 kW and, with a torque of 290 Nm, the car combines local emission-free mobility with day-to-day suitability and good performance figures.

The new vehicles are exciting the market with the potential of a new generation of fuel-efficient, zero-emission vehicles. For CETUP, a logistics and delivery company, the Renault Kangoo ZE-H2 equipped by Symbio is a welcome addition to the fleet. It reduces overall fuel dependence and emissions, while providing the smooth ride and power necessary to keep the business moving forward. Symbio noted that in specialised markets where zero emissions and guaranteed daily operation are critical, Kangoo ZE-H2 customers are winning new business over competition. To perform last-mile delivery in cities that prohibit polluting transport, hydrogen provides unique features compared to pure battery-based utility vehicles. To illustrate, last September, CETUP’s Kangoo ZE-H2 equipped by Symbio broke a range record by covering 367 km at once with a fully loaded battery and a full hydrogen tank.

Fuel cell vehicles have been identified as a promising technology to lower emissions and improve energy security with minimal impact on the driver in terms of functionality or convenience.

“Symbio is proud to be part of the hydrogen momentum in Europe and contribute to a low-carbon economy by facilitating the deployment of 100 per cent zero-emission and 100 per cent electric vehicles,” said Pierre-Yves Le-Berre, VP, Symbio. “Electric vehicles integrated with Symbio’s range extender are able to reduce air pollution in urban areas. Our ambition is to equip all urban delivery centres with our vehicles to guarantee the absence of harmful emissions, as well as address new market trends and regulations. For instance, if a delivery centre used a Renault Kangoo equipped with our range extender, driving 200 km a day in Paris, it would remove the carbon emissions of 20 private vehicles.”