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Inaugurated with great fanfare with ministers and the CEOs of Michelin and Stellantis, the Saint-Fons gigafactory (Lyon metropolis) aims to write the future of hydrogen mobility. The site employs 750 employees. Objective, to enable the production of 16,000 vehicles currently each year to 50,000 by 2030.
Forget the word “engine”. In this factory which follows disruptive fashion, we talk about “systems” or “modules”. Here, in Saint-Fons, the Symbio “gigafactory” has just been inaugurated. Objective: to become a European and world leader in hydrogen fuel cells.
“It’s the factory of the future!” enthuses Philippe Rosier, CEO of Symbio. “It’s the factory for hydrogen mobility, so it’s the factory that allows us to industrialize this technology.” The factory aims to produce 16,000 hydrogen systems in 2024, then increase to 50,000 per year by 2026.
An industrial baby imagined by Michelin and Faurecia, this project for the first European hydrogen fuel cell factory was launched three years ago. The new CEO is proud today to present his site to the Ministers of Energy Transition and Industry. “It’s really the accomplishment of three years of work by all the Symbio teams to industrialize this technology in France, thanks to the public authorities and the shareholders” says Philippe Rosier.
Indeed, during this morning visit, there were many of them behind the director of Symbio. The ministers therefore, the president of the Region Laurent Wauquiez, the president of the Metropolis of Lyon Bruno Bernard, the mayor of Saint-Fons and heavyweights of the automobile industry, the CEOs of Michelin and Stellantis (3rd largest automobile group in the world after Volkswagen and Toyota). They all worked together to create “SymphonHy” (like Saint-Fons-Hydrogen), the baptismal name of this factory.
In February 2020, decarbonized hydrogen is considered a priority by the State. 7 billion euros of investment over 10 years is planned. The Saint-Fons factory is then supported to the tune of 600 million euros. “Today, we see gigafactories emerging from the ground. Today, there are battery gigafactories. We were told it was impossible, we did it! welcomes the Minister of Ecological Transition Agnès Pannier -Runacher. And now, this hydrogen sector, here in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. And we see that it is possible!”
Attentively, the minister lets Philippe Rosier explain how the hydrogen fuel cell works. “It is a catalyzed membrane. The hydrogen is transformed into an electron which leaves in the circuit, and the proton crosses the membrane to meet the oxygen and make water which leaves in the exhaust. It is This is why we say that it is a clean energy, since it only emits water vapor. If you ask Jamy, it goes like this:
A hydrogen fuel cell is made up of plates and membranes in which an electrochemical reaction takes place, producing electricity, as well as heat and water. It powers the electric motor, with autonomy and a recharge time close to thermal vehicles. “A hydrogen fuel cell produces electricity inside a vehicle. It increases its autonomy compared to a battery pack which stores electricity. And it’s very simple to refuel. You will refill your tank with hydrogen like you refill your tank with gasoline” explains Michelin CEO Florent Menegaux.
Stackpack is the name of the system produced in Saint-Fons by Symbio. • © France TV/Valérie Benais
This very expensive technology costs two to three times more than a conventional electric vehicle. The systems that will leave this factory will therefore be dedicated to professional vehicles, from utility vehicles to heavy goods vehicles.
“It’s a very important investment which will allow us to increase our skills,” says Agnès Pannier-Runacher. “It will allow us to reduce greenhouse gases in transport. It’s very concrete and it’s happening now. “It’s a solution that shows that the ecological and energy transition creates jobs, wealth and these are solutions that can be deployed.”
In France, 80% of the players in the hydrogen sector are in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. In the chemistry valley, south of Lyon, an ecosystem is being created. Thus, the CNR (Compagnie nationale du Rhône) will produce hydrogen by electrolysis of river water. It will then supply, thanks to pipelines, several sites in the valley, including Symbio.
Six months ago, the arrival of the giant Stellantis in the capital of Symbio gave global ambitions to the gigafactory. Stellantis, the leader in utility vehicles in Europe, delivered its first vehicles equipped with hydrogen systems at the end of 2021, assembled in Germany.
Having a client like Stellantis was very important to ensure volumes.
Florent Menegaux, CEO of Michelin
Stellantis believes in the technological mastery of its two partners and Stellantis believes in the quality of scientific education that we have in France.
Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis
An Opel van, for example, carries 4.4 kilos of hydrogen for 400 kilometers of autonomy. Its price currently still exceeds 100,000 euros for purchase, with a rental offer of 400 euros per month.
The manufacturer intends to reduce this price with its new range of hydrogen-powered Peugeot, Opel or Citroën utility vehicles, which must be assembled in Hordain (North). “Utilities firstly because the charging times are much shorter than electricity, the weight is lower and therefore the autonomy and payload are higher” explains Carlos Tavares.
According to the boss of Forvia, Patrick Koller, the hydrogen system will be less expensive than the electric battery by 2030. This launch phase will have to be supported by European states to succeed, warned the general director of Stellantis, Carlos Tavares: “for the next five years, we are going to need purchasing support” of at least 30,000 euros per vehicle, he stressed, “to launch volumes and then reduce costs”.
All that remains is to deploy recharging stations and find hydrogen produced from carbon-free energies. By 2030, state investment should make it possible to reach 600 kilotons of production per year.
Symbio also plans to open a factory in Alsace in early 2024 to manufacture bipolar plates, an essential element of fuel cells, and is considering a second gigafactory in France in 2028. The company is also considering building a gigafactory in California, to supply the American utility and heavy-duty truck market. Stellantis brands like Ram intend to take advantage of this to switch their pick-ups to hydrogen from 2026-2027.