France’s vision for hydrogen powered haulage

This pioneering centre at Villabé, Essonne, 30 km south of Paris, is powered by a state-of-the-art green hydrogen refuelling station and a dedicated maintenance facility for hydrogen-powered heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).

“The HGV fuel chain, which has been developing for several months, is now ready and complete – we’re proud to be part of France’s first centre of excellence for hydrogen trucks,” said Matthieu Guesné, founder and CEO of Lhyfe.

“Haulage operators need hydrogen vehicles, green hydrogen, refuelling stations and maintenance centres to service them. This complete chain has just been inaugurated in the Paris region, and it’s a major step forward for hydrogen mobility.”

Cleaner haulage

The announcement of the centre, which should go into operation in September, comes just weeks after Hyliko’s hydrogen trucks began commercial operations for companies like Point P, Berto Group, Labatut and Toyota.

It’s capable of 350-bar refuelling (with plans to increase to 700 bars), which allows HGVs to refuel in just 20 minutes using green hydrogen produced by Lhyfe. 

The first hydrogen vehicles retrofitted by Hyliko are already being used on the road by Point P’s haulage operators, the Berto Group and Labatut LVI, as well as by Bert&You and Toyota.

Lhyfe produces green and renewable hydrogen through the electrolysis of water, at production units powered by renewable energy.

Launched in 2017, the company inaugurated its first site in 2021 and today has four installed sites and several sites under construction across Europe.