INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Hydrogen is also much less energy-dense by volume, and making the stuff is far from efficient, even when you use entirely renewable
And of course, the vast majority of commercial hydrogen is not so-called blue hydrogen, which was made with renewables but is instead mostly
produced via steam reformation from hydrocarbon stocks
That's an energy-intensive process and one that is very far from carbon-neutral.Finally, there's virtually no infrastructure for hydrogen
road vehicles to refuel.The vehicles are inefficient, and the fuel is expensive, difficult to store, and hard to find
So it's perhaps no wonder that someone at Stellantis finally saw sense
Between the high development costs and the fact that FCEVs only sell with strong incentives, the decision was made to cancel the production
of hydrogen vans in France and Poland.Stellantis says there will be no job losses at its factories and that R&D staff will be put to work on
other projects."In a context where the Company is mobilizing to respond to demanding CO2 regulations in Europe, Stellantis has decided to
discontinue its hydrogen fuel cell technology development program," said Jean-Philippe Imparato, chief operating officer for Enlarged Europe
"The hydrogen market remains a niche segment, with no prospects of mid-term economic sustainability
We must make clear and responsible choices to ensure our competitiveness and meet the expectations of our customers with our electric and
hybrid passenger and light commercial vehicles offensive."
