During a visit to the Hordain plant in the Hauts-de-France region (France), Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares announced the serial production of hydrogen-powered fuel cell versions of Peugeot, Citroen, and Opel light commercial vehicles.
"I am extremely proud of the management and employees at our Hordain site." Because of the flexibility of our production system, they have helped make their factory the first in the world to combine three types of propulsion. "Today's announcement underscores Stellantis' commitment to invest in the most advanced technologies and promote low-carbon mobility in France, under the 'One Company' principle," explained Carlos Tavares. "Stellantis has managed to advance automotive history." We are transitioning our 12 industrial sites in 7 French regions where we are proud of our historical roots in collaboration with our social partners."
These hydrogen-powered vehicles will be built on the site's multi-energy line, which manufactures electric and internal combustion engine versions of the "K-Zero" daily. The fuel cell models' platforms are modified in the body shop before the vehicles go through the traditional steps of painting and assembly on the same production line as combustion and electric vehicles. They then enter a new 8,000 square meter facility dedicated entirely to finishing.
At the Hordain factory, a dedicated team will install the hydrogen tank, additional batteries, and fuel cell on a production line. Compared to the previous small series process, in which the fuel cell was assembled as part of a pilot production in Rüsselsheim, this cuts the time required to adapt the model.
The series production of the hydrogen version for light commercial vehicles, which requires a 10 million euro investment and financial support from the French government, marks a new milestone for the Hordain plant, which already produces for Peugeot, Citroen, Opel, Vauxhall, Fiat, and Toyota and includes 43% zero-emission electric versions.
The "K-Zero" fuel cell vehicles are designed for commercial users who require locally emission-free solutions with a long range (400 kilometers), the fastest possible refueling time (3 minutes), and unchanged loading capacity (1000 kilograms payload).
Stellantis was the world's first manufacturer to introduce this type of vehicle in 2021.
The Hordain plant opened in 1994 and is the hub of Stellantis' commercial vehicle production network. This important location is where the "K-Zero" family's light commercial vehicles and passenger car versions are assembled. The Hordain plant employs 2,440 people divided into three teams, producing 628 vehicles per day. 144,650 vehicles will have rolled off the assembly line by 2021. The millionth "K-Zero" was manufactured in the summer of 2022.
The Hordain plant is the world's first plant for the production of commercial vehicles powered by hydrogen, electric, and combustion engines.
